1974

include component="page" page="content_legenda" 1974 include component="page" wikiName="brucebase" page="content_jump" editable="1"


 * 1974-01-04 - JOE'S PLACE, CAMBRIDGE, MA**

No set details known. One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and Peter Johnson & The Manic Depressives (Joe’s unofficial house band) opening. This was opening night of a three-night (three-show) residency.


 * 1974-01-05 - JOE'S PLACE, CAMBRIDGE, MA**

No set details known. One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and Peter Johnson & The Manic Depressives (Joe’s unofficial house band) opening. A live version of “Thundercrack” found on the boot ‘Deep Down In The Vaults’ (E Street Records) is not from this show, as is claimed in the liner notes. It’s the edited version of the performance from Max’s Kansas City on January 31, 1973.

An 'orphaned' audience recording of “Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?” has been linked to either this show or the Childe Harold gig of December 6, 1973. However, it is unlikely to be from this show. Also, the artwork (and subsequent info files) for the CD bootleg "Greetings From Liberty Hall tx" (Wonderland Records) indicate that four tracks from this show are included - this is an error, they are in fact sourced from the January 6 show.


 * 1974-01-06 - JOE'S PLACE, CAMBRIDGE, MA**

Soundcheck: DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET?

NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? / WALKING THE DOG / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / KITTY’S BACK / THUNDERCRACK / YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME / GROWIN’ UP / LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW / ZERO AND BLIND TERRY / BLINDED BY THE LIGHT / FOR YOU / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) - SHOTGUN / TWIST AND SHOUT

One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and Peter Johnson & The Manic Depressives (Joe’s unofficial house band) opening. Springsteen’s show consisted of two hour-long sets separated by an intermission after "Thundercrack".

The above-mentioned 15-song setlist represents Bruce’s complete show and can be found on the two-CD set ‘Introducing Rosie’ (B Street). The source is an audience recording of only fair quality that contains CB Radio interference.The opening 30 seconds and “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” is missing about 20 seconds mid-song, seemingly the result of a tape glitch. There are historical inaccuracies in the liner notes of the ‘Introducing Rosie' CD which have caused confusion over the years. This is not, as stated, the live debut of “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”, the song was performed during 1973 and two live recordings from early 1973 are in circulation. However, the song does feature a couple verses of "Shotgun" in the midsection. The CD also incorrectly lists the audio as coming from the January 5 show. Yet comments made by club owner Joe Spadafora prior to “Twist And Shout” offer compelling evidence this recording is from the January 6 show. "For You" is the solo piano version.

A soundboard recording of the final eight songs of this show (the entire second set) had been in very limited circulation since the early 1990s. However, four of these eight soundboard songs surfaced into the wider collector arena on various boots during the mid-late 1990s. The four tracks that surfaced were as follows: #1) “Let The Four Winds Blow” on the CDs ‘The Inner View' and the ‘The Bruce Springsteen Collection, Volume 2'. It was also issued on the CD ‘Play The Tuba And Run’ (which on some specimens had the complete performance but in other cases had a cut version with the final four minutes missing). #2) “Zero And Blind Terry” on the four-CD ‘The Genuine Tracks 1972-1996’. #3) “Twist And Shout” on the CDs ‘The Inner View’ and ‘The Bruce Springsteen Collection, Volume 2’. #4) an edited (the 3-4 minute instrumental intro is missing) 5:59 version of “Blinded By The Light” on the three-CD set ‘Deep Down In The Vaults’ in 1998. The fact that most of these CD boots misidentified the source venue or date created much confusion that still lingers today.

In early 2007 the soundboard of all eight songs in the second set finally surfaced (in excellent quality) into the mainstream collector market via the title ‘Uber Series #21’. This source contains the edited (cut) version of “Blinded By The Light” previously issued on 'Deep Down In The Vaults' (see above). This source is also available on pressed CDs 'Live From Joe's Place' from Godfatherecords and 'Second Set 1974' from Vintage Masters. The soundboard of the opening seven songs of this show (the entire first set) has not surfaced into the mainstream, it allegedly exists in the hands of only a few people.

A claim that one, some, or all three of the Joe’s Place shows were filmed first surfaced in the 1992, second edition Charles Cross///Backstreets// book //Springsteen: The Man & His Music//. That book implied the filming had something to do with a Charity Telethon. Evidence has now emerged (printed in //The Real Paper// on January 16, 1974) that only one song was recorded on the afternoon of Sunday, January 6, for the benefit of Muscular Dystrophy. This was likely a local fund-raiser, rather than a national telethon. Two takes of "Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?" were recorded, without an audience. This was filmed with the intention of showing it on local TV in March, perhaps on a benefit show, but it is unclear whether this ever happened. This recording (perhaps only audio) still exists in private collections, and audio of one of the takes entered circulation in 2017 on the 'Odds & Sods' compilation.


 * 1974-01-12 - THE JOINT IN THE WOODS, PARSIPPANY, NJ**

SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (4.43) / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (3.41) / WALKING THE DOG (9.45) / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (3.54) / RING OF FIRE (9.49) / KITTY'S BACK (10.51) / 634-5789 (SOULSVILLE, U.S.A.) (7.15) / THUNDERCRACK (13.32) / BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (10.09) / GROWIN' UP (3.14) / FOR YOU (4.35) / YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME (cut, 2.48)

Audience tape (Unbooted) of poor quality with lots of hiss. Only known source of "Ring Of Fire" from the early days, although it was played at other shows. "For You" is the full band version. Available on CDR 'Joint In The Woods'.


 * 1974-01-19 - STUDENT CENTER BALLROOM, KENT STATE UNIVERSITY, KENT, OH**

ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) - SHOTGUN

One show, double bill, held in the sold-out 1,600-seat Student Union Center Ballroom, with Springsteen and band opening for headliner Black Oak Arkansas. Springsteen opened but played about 80 minutes. However the vast majority of the fans in attendance had come to see Black Oak Arkansas, so it was a very raucous audience.

There were continual problems with feedback and echo inside the K.S.U. Ballroom during this show, prompting a scathing review by K.S.U. rock critic Clyde Hadlock following the concert. Hadlock felt that neither band had adequately prepared their sound systems to fit the auditorium's dynamics. According to Hadlock "if the echo had been any worse we could have heard the show twice". Hadlock's review of Springsteen's performance is positive and Hadlock makes no secret of the fact he felt the wrong band was headlining, calling Black Oak Arkansas "a bunch of backward crackers - they are to music what Roller Derby is to TV". Springsteen, on the other hand, he calls "a great poet". Hadlock doesn't articulate Springsteen's setlist in his review. However he gets very detailed about Bruce's final song at this show, "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)". Says Hadlock in his review…"My biggest complaint (about Springsteen) is that he marred his big show-closing piece, "Rosalita", by whipping into Junior Walker's "Shotgun" and then taking ten minutes to introduce the band." This detailed information concerning "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" is just one of many pieces of evidence that proves that the long-circulating soundboard audio assigned to this date is, in fact, not from this show.

A fascinating article on a Kent State blog goes into more detail about the show: Springsteen was paid $750 for the night's work, Black Oak Arkansas took home much more, in the region of $5,000. Following the show Bruce went to a party in a house on campus, sitting on the floor in a torn leather jacket and boots with a hole in.

There is no circulating audio from this show. Please note that the widely circulating soundboard audio attributed to this show (most famously found on the CD "You Mean So Much To Me" (Great Dane) is actually from a small club gig in Nashville ten days later (see listing for January 29 for specific details).


 * 1974-01-25 - THE MOSQUE, RICHMOND, VA**

SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / BLINDED BY THE LIGHT / LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW / KITTY'S BACK / FOR YOU / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) - SHOTGUN / TWIST AND SHOUT

One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and local outfit Goose Creek Symphony opening. This was a rescheduled show, originally booked for November 30, 1973 at the VCU Gym but postponed. The above-mentioned eight-song setlist is from a circulating audience recording (90 minutes) of only fair quality.


 * 1974-01-26 - CHRYSLER HALL, NORFOLK, VA**

WILD BILLY'S CIRCUS STORY / WALKING THE DOG / KITTY'S BACK / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)

No other set details known. One show, with Springsteen and band headlining and The Charlie Daniels Band opening. This recently opened venue had a seating capacity of 2,000 and was a sellout. This show and the previous night in Richmond were reviewed by Chris Charlesworth of //Melody Maker//. He says that "Walking The Dog" was played tonight, and suggests that "New York City Serenade" and "Wild Billy's Circus Story" were also in the set. The other two songs listed above are from the recollections of others present.


 * 1974-01-29 - MUTHER'S MUSIC EMPORIUM, NASHVILLE, TN**

DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (4:04) / WALKING THE DOG (9:12) / INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET (7:44) / KITTY'S BACK (9:53) / THUNDERCRACK (11:50) / YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME (start cut, 9:50) / GROWIN' UP (3:01) / BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (11:00) / LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW (start cut, 6:42) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) - SHOTGUN (8:54)

One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band opening for headlining Texas blues guitar legend Freddie King (and his band). King was booked for a six-night residency, however Springsteen was a special guest only for the first two nights. Bruce played before King both nights but was allowed to give a headliner-length performance. Bruce's booking at this small, 300-seat club came about after Mike Appel became aware of a CBS Sales Convention taking place in Nashville and, additionally, that the entire CBS contingent would be staying in a hotel near this club. Appel conducted a handbill/leaflet drop to each room in the hotel, inviting nearly 200 CBS sales and marketing people to attend the shows. However, according to Appel, nobody from CBS turned up and the club was painfully empty. The audio evidence certainly backs up Appel's recollection. There doesn't sound like there are more than 100 people in the club for Bruce's show. It is speculated this soundboard was recorded because Appel wanted to have material from the show to give to the CBS people he (wrongly) anticipated would show up. This was a single show consisting of two sets. There was a short intermission after "Thundercrack". The opening song of the second set, "You Mean So Much To Me", is missing its opening minute or so. Similarly "Blinded By The Light" was the final song in the second set and the opening minute of the first encore, "Let The Four Winds Blow", is missing. "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" (which contains the "Shotgun" segment) was the final encore.

The above-mentioned ten-song setlist represents Bruce's complete performance and is from an excellent quality soundboard that is most commonly found on the widely circulating CD 'You Mean So Much To Me' (Great Dane). Unfortunately, the folks at Great Dane incorrectly attributed this audio to a January 19 show at Kent State University and this erroneous information has widely propagated ever since. (Please refer to the January 19 Kent State listing for specific details about that show, which took place in a much larger venue before a substantially larger crowd).


 * 1974-01-30 - MUTHER'S MUSIC EMPORIUM, NASHVILLE, TN**

One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band opening for headlining Texas blues guitar legend Freddie King (and his band). Springsteen opened but played a 90-minute show. Like the previous night, the crowd turnout was disappointing.


 * 1974-02-01 - ALLEN THEATRE, CLEVELAND, OH**

SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (4:49) / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (3:34) / WALKING THE DOG (8:01) / ZERO AND BLIND TERRY (6:29) / BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (8:05) / KITTY'S BACK (8:45) / THUNDERCRACK (12:18) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) - SHOTGUN (11:03)

One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band opening for headliner Wishbone Ash.

The above-mentioned eight-song setlist is from a circulating audience recording of fair-good quality and represents Springsteen complete 65-minute performance as the evening's undercard. "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" incorporates the Junior Walker "Shotgun" segment. An announcer can be heard announcing Wishbone Ash by name, positively linking the audio to this show. Available on the CDR 'Cleveland 74'.


 * 1974-02-02 - FIELD HOUSE, SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE, SPRINGFIELD, MA**

ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW / TWIST AND SHOUT

No other set details known. One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and The Persuasions opening. A major snowstorm strikes Springfield the day of the show, and only a handful are one hand to witness the two-hour set. An attendee notes that the horrific weather meant only around 30 people attended the show. The band lost power during the show so Bruce played piano until it returned.


 * 1974-02-07 - RICHARDS, ATLANTA, GA**

No set details known. One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band opening for headliners NRBQ.


 * 1974-02-08 - RICHARDS, ATLANTA, GA**

No set details known. One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band opening for headliners NRBQ. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-02-09 - RICHARDS, ATLANTA, GA**

No set details known. One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band opening for headliners NRBQ.


 * 1974-02-12 - STUDENT CENTER BALLROOM, UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, LEXINGTON, KY**

NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / GROWIN’ UP / WALKING THE DOG / BLINDED BY THE LIGHT / KITTY’S BACK / FOR YOU / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) - SHOTGUN

One show, double bill, held in the Student Center Ballroom, with Springsteen and band headlining with a 90-minute performance and local blues-rock group The Hatfield Clan opening with a 60-minute performance. Bruce's first ever appearance in Kentucky. The show was not a sellout, only about half of the venue’s 700 tickets were sold. The above-noted setlist (there are likely three or four songs missing) emanates from writer Joel Zakem’s original, glowing, review of the show in the University of Kentucky student newspaper, as well as further details provided to Brucebase by Mr Zakem. Springsteen opened with the extended Sancious-led intro version of "New York City Serenade".

Prior to the start of this show there had been a heated argument/scuffle between road manager Steve Appel (manager Mike Appel’s brother) and drummer Vini Lopez. Springsteen, after discussing the altercation incident with Mike Appel by phone following the show, then asked Lopez to submit his resignation. Consequently this turned out to be Vini's final show with the band. The sudden departure of Lopez would force the cancellation of the trip to Ohio and the next three scheduled shows.

No circulating audio.


 * 1974-02-15 - STUDENT UNION AUDITORIUM, UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO, TOLEDO, OH**

Cancelled concert, never rescheduled. This event had been planned to be one show held in the 500-seat Student Union Auditorium, with Springsteen and band the sole act on the bill. The bad news came via a phone call from Mike Appel to the head of the Student Union Concert Board on the early evening of February 14. Appel stated that there had been a sudden, unforeseen departure of Bruce's drummer (Lopez) and that, while a new drummer (Ernest Carter) had already been chosen, rehearsals would be needed before any gigs could be played. The Student Union Board did ask that Springsteen (who was still back east) travel to Ohio and give a solo performance instead, but the request was denied. In a bizarre twist, only a few hours following Appel's phone call a robbery took place in which all the cash takings and unsold tickets for the Springsteen show were specifically targeted and stolen. The cancellation and robbery were not related. The announcement of both the cancellation and the robbery were made on the morning of February 15 in the school's newspaper.


 * 1974-02-17 - THE COLUMBUS AGORA, COLUMBUS, OH**

Cancelled concert, never rescheduled. The cancellation was caused by the sudden, unplanned departure of drummer Vini Lopez following the show in Kentucky on February 12.


 * 1974-02-18 - THE AGORA, CLEVELAND, OH**

Cancelled concert, never rescheduled. Planned as one show, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and country-rock band L.A.W. opening. The cancellation was caused by the sudden, unplanned departure of drummer Lopez following the show in Kentucky on February 12.

Audio from The Agora radio broadcast of June 3 is often incorrectly attributed to this cancelled gig.


 * 1974-02-23 - SATELLITE LOUNGE, COOKSTOWN, NJ**

ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)

No other setlist details known. One show, with Springsteen and band the sole act on the bill at this notorious watering hole for military personnel from Fort Dix. This was the debut gig for drummer Ernest 'Boom' Carter, who was a childhood friend of Davey Sancious. As had been the case with the three previous scheduled shows in Ohio, Springsteen had directed Mike Appel to cancel or reschedule this gig, as Carter had only arrived in New Jersey (from Atlanta after a call from Sancious) a few days earlier and had only managed one till-dawn rehearsal with the band. However, under threat of retribution from Satellite Lounge owner Carlo Rossi, Bruce agreed to play. This was a long show that incorporated two very unusual 70 - 80 minute sets, with the opening set not starting until after midnight. There was then a long intermission, with the second set not starting until after 3.00am. Since Carter had not had the opportunity to learn Springsteen's compositions this performance incorporated a uniquely high proportion of classic rock standards, material that Carter already knew. In Mike Appel's words, "one of those amazing nights where everything worked and not a soul knew that Carter was a new drummer". Bruce recounted some hilarious details about this gig a couple of weeks later during a Texas radio interview (see the March 8 KLOL-FM listing).

A contributor to the Greasy Lake website had this to say about the show: "I was there. Bruce and his band were in the center of the stage ~ the "dance floor" was on either side of the band. I was up there dancing with my boyfriend. The band jumped into a rousing, jagged version of "Rosalita." In the middle of the song, during the instrumental break, Bruce swung his guitar around to his back, leaned over, and grabbed my arm. I danced my heart out with Bruce!"

Unfortunately, there is no known audio from this show.


 * 1974-02-24 - THE MAIN POINT, BRYN MAWR, PA**

No set details known. Two shows, 8.00pm and 10.00pm. Bruce and band are the sole act on the bill.


 * 1974-02-25 - THE MAIN POINT, BRYN MAWR, PA**

WILD BILLY'S CIRCUS STORY / WALKING THE DOG / TOKYO / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)

One show, 8.00pm, with Springsteen and band the sole act on the bill. The partial setlist above is from an attendee recollection. This final night of Springsteen's two-night stint at The Main Point was nearly cancelled, as Bruce had come down with a bad case of influenza and could barely function. A Brucebase reader who attended the final show confirmed this story, commenting: "he had a fever of 101 and sat in a chair all night, except for "Rosalita", even sitting down he was the best I ever saw!"

There is no circulating audio.


 * 1974-03-01 - STATE THEATRE, NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ**

Cancelled concert (due to Bruce being ill), never rescheduled. This concert was originally scheduled as two shows, double billing, with Springsteen and band opening for Richie Havens. In his review of the later Georgetown show, critic Jerry Gilbert mentions that Springsteen has a bad cough and is coughing up blood and this is the reason for the cancellation of this show.


 * 1974-03-02 - THE JOINT IN THE WOODS, PARSIPPANY, NJ**

Cancelled concert (due to Bruce being ill), never rescheduled. In his review of the later Georgetown show, critic Jerry Gilbert mentions that Springsteen has a bad cough and is coughing up blood and this is the reason for the cancellation of this show. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-03-03 - GASTON HALL, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON, DC**

Soundcheck: includes SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT

Early (first) show: WILD BILLY'S CIRCUS STORY / INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / THE E STREET SHUFFLE / WALKING THE DOG / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / BLINDED BY THE LIGHT / KITTY'S BACK / FOR YOU / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)

Late (second) show: WILD BILLY'S CIRCUS STORY (5.30) / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE (15.00) / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (5.57) / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY (5.16) / WALKING THE DOG (14.44) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) (6.22) / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (4.01) / KITTY'S BACK (10.59) / FOR YOU (9.28) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (9.03) / LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW

Two shows, 7:30pm and 10:30pm, with Springsteen and band headlining and Orleans opening. Held in the sold-out, 750-seat Gaston Hall. A copy of the concert contract signed by Steve Appel (Mike's brother, and the band's road manager) indicates that the original plan was for one show (8pm) in the much larger McDonough Arena, scheduled for February 25. These details were crossed out and amended before the contract was signed. Springsteen's fee for appearing was $1500. Click the link above to view the contract. Critic Jerry Gilbert attended both shows and wrote a lengthy, highly detailed review of the night's events that appeared a couple of weeks later in //Sounds// magazine. The above-mentioned eleven-song setlist for the first show is likely to be complete and includes all seven of the songs from //The Wild, The Innocent And The E Street Shuffle// album, the only known time that happened (until 2009, at least), although it probably had occurred before due to the amount of undocumented setlists from this era. Paul confirmed that "Walking The Dog" and the solo piano "For You" were played at the early show. Paul also notes that Bruce spoke about the shows with NRBQ in Atlanta in early February and highly recommended seeing them.

Intriguingly critic Jerry Gilbert (who clearly notes “Let The Four Winds Blow” as ending the second show) mentions that following the second show Springsteen sat down at a piano backstage and played him (plus Mike Appel and some of the band members) a brand new song that he'd recently written, unfortunately, Gilbert doesn't mention the song’s title. "Walking The Dog" includes Dave Sancious playing a bit of "Mary Had A Little Lamb" during his solo. Last known performance of "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" with the original album third verse "waitress" lyrics until 2005. By the next performance of the song in April 1974, Springsteen had rewritten the third verse to the "angels" lyrics. "For You" is the solo piano version.

There is no known audio of the early show. Springsteen's eleven-song late (second) show was simulcast (minus "Let The Four Winds Blow") on the University’s popular radio station WGTB-FM. It can be found in excellent soundboard quality on several different boots such as 'Saint In The City' (Swingin' Pig), 'NYC Serenade' (Oil Well), 'The Boss Keeps Rockin, Vol 3' (Imtrat) and to retail in the UK on CD 'Saint In The City' (Rox Vox). A highlight of this broadcast is a wonderful "New York City Serenade". It is unknown if the lengthy final encore, "Let The Four Winds Blow", was taped or not, it definitely was not broadcast that night (probably due to a 90-minute schedule restriction) and that piece of audio has never circulated among collectors.


 * 1974-03-07 - LIBERTY HALL, HOUSTON, TX**

WALKING THE DOG

No other set details known. Bruce's first ever appearance in Texas. One show, 8.00pm, with Springsteen and band headlining and singer-songwriter Jimmy Spheeris opening. This is Thursday and opening night of what would be a four-day (seven-show) residency at the 300-seat Liberty Hall. On this evening most (possibly all) of Springsteen's show is broadcast by radio station KPFT-FM as part of its 'every Thursday night' broadcast segment from Liberty Hall. A complimentary review in the //Houston Chronicle// does mention that "Walking The Dog" was performed, but no other details of the night's setlist are articulated.

As incredible and unlikely as it may seem, there is no circulating audio from this night's show, making this the only verified Springsteen radio broadcast that has yet to surface. It does not appear that any of the later KPFT-FM 'compilation' re-broadcasts of live material from Liberty Hall included any of the material from this show.


 * 1974-03-08 - RADIO STATION KLOL-FM, HOUSTON, TX**

SPRINGSTEEN INTERVIEW & CHAT (18:26)

An interesting discussion with KLOL-FM DJ Ed Beauchamp held during the afternoon at the station and broadcast live. Bruce did not perform any songs. Bruce returned to KLOL with the entire band the following afternoon for an in-station performance. Some selections from the March 9 KLOL show are sometimes incorrectly attributed to this show.

The interview can be found complete on the CD boot 'The Lost Radio Show' (Whoopy Cat), although the CD mistakenly lists it as taking place the following day. As there has been confusion about the date, location and other aspects of this show, some relevant points should be pointed out. During the interview Beauchamp mentions the station’s frequency (101), thereby confirming it as KLOL-FM. Comments made during the discussion positively confirm the show as being on the March 8 and also confirm that no other Springsteen band members are present.


 * 1974-03-08 - LIBERTY HALL, HOUSTON, TX**

No set details known. Two shows, 8.00pm and 11.00pm, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and singer-songwriter Jimmy Spheeris opening. At the following day's interview, it is mentioned that a streaker ran behind Springsteen at this show while he was performing.

There is no circulating audio from this night's shows.


 * 1974-03-09 - RADIO STATION KLOL-FM, HOUSTON, TX**

Soundcheck: SATIN DOLL - BEER BARREL POLKA (2:34)

SATIN DOLL (2:30) / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (5:56) / GROWIN' UP (10:17) / MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS (6:53) / WILD BILLY'S CIRCUS STORY (5:30) / SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY (3:05) / THE FEVER (8:49) / SOMETHING YOU GOT - (LOVE IS LIKE A) HEAT WAVE (7:12)

The above-mentioned setlist represents the complete performance by Bruce and band inside a recording studio, KLOL-FM. This is lengthiest of all Bruce's radio station sojourns; in fact, this is practically a concert in itself. A stunning "The Fever" is performed because a studio demo of the song (later issued on the official Columbia 1998 release //Tracks//) had been sent to the station by Mike Appel a couple of months earlier and had been receiving strong phone-in requests. The entire show can be found in excellent quality on the CD 'The Lost Radio Show' from various labels including Whoopy Cat, Kiss The Stone, Postscript and Audifon. The two reels used for 'The Lost Radio Show' were rescued from the trash after KLOL were purging their tape library. Before they were bootlegged by Whoopy Cat, the reels were offered to Springsteen's people, but they declined. Released to retail in the UK on CD 'Sentimental Journey' (Broadcasting Radio Records). The so-called intro/tuning includes parts of "Satin Doll" and “Beer Barrel Polka". Comments made during this show positively confirm the stations as KLOL-FM and the recording and broadcast date as the afternoon of March 9.


 * 1974-03-09 - LIBERTY HALL, HOUSTON, TX**

Late (second) show: WILD BILLY'S CIRCUS STORY (9:53) / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE (14:45) / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (5:32) / WALKING THE DOG (15:54) / IT’S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (4:15) / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY (5:11) / BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (10:20) / FOR YOU (10:36) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (10:14)

Two shows, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and Jimmie Spheeris opening. Prior to "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" someone in the crowd requests “The Fever” - Bruce doesn't perform it at this show but promises the crowd that he’ll work up a band arrangement and play it the next time he is in Houston. It seems Bruce accelerated that promise, as he surprises everyone by performing a semi-band version at the late show the following night. "For You" is the solo piano version.

Even though there are only nine songs in this setlist, most of the performances during this show are quite extended versions. With a running time of about 90 minutes (depending on between-song edits) this is most likely the complete show, although there are edit points between some songs so it is possible that a couple of additional songs were performed but are not circulating. Comments Springsteen makes during the show relating to his March 9 afternoon in-station acoustic performance at KLOL-FM prove this audio is also from March 9. Other comments made by Bruce strongly point to this being the second show on March 9.

There is still confusion about whether this night’s show was simulcast live by KLOL-FM or whether the show was taped only for later use. Current evidence suggests this show wasn’t simulcast but instead was first broadcast in November 1974 to promote Springsteen’s later Texas tour. There is also some evidence that the material was broadcast disjointed in November of 1974, rather than in one continuous program segment.

There is no circulating audio from this first (early) show. The above-mentioned nine-song setlist for the late show (believed to be in the proper sequence) is taken from circulating audio that has been sourced from home tapings of radio broadcasts. All nine recordings can be found on the two-CD boot 'Liberty Hall' (Mistral) and 'The Complete Liberty Hall Tapes' (Burning Love). The original tapers utilized modest recording equipment, so the sound quality is good but not brilliant.


 * 1974-03-10 - LIBERTY HALL, HOUSTON, TX**

Early (first) show: WILD BILLY’S CIRCUS STORY / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE

Late (second) show: MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS (5:29) / THE FEVER (9:48) / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (5:30) / GIMME THAT WINE (3:02) / THE E STREET SHUFFLE (4:16) / SOMETHING YOU GOT (5:28) / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (4:25) / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (3:32) / KITTY'S BACK (8:57) / ANGEL'S BLUES (8:08) / THUNDERCRACK (13:45) / FOR YOU (7:54) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (end cut, 0:45)

Two shows (8.00pm and 11.00pm), double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and Jimmy Spheeris opening. As advertising for the Liberty Hall residency states, the final night was originally scheduled as one show only. However due to strong demand a second (late) show was added at the very last moment. Attendee recollections from March 10 that have surfaced over the years have caused great confusion due to the fact that both shows featured somewhat different setlists and because it was not generally known/confirmed that two shows were performed on March 10. Springsteen opened the first show of this night with an acoustic "Wild Billy's Circus Story" and a partial band, acoustic-orientated rendition of "New York City Serenade" (the same two songs he had opened the second show with the previous night). The remaining songs performed during this first show are still unclear. For the second show Bruce changed the two opening songs, instead, he began the late show with an acoustic "Mary Queen of Arkansas" followed by a semi-acoustic "The Fever".

The second show has several interesting features. Springsteen sings the "The Fever" for the first time in a concert setting and predicates the rendition by mentioning the studio demo that has been sent out to some radio stations (but doesn't mention the fact he played the song the day before inside the KLOL-FM studio). By performing "The Fever" at this show Bruce appears to have been delivering on a promise he made to the Liberty Hall audience the night before. Additionally, Bruce breaks a guitar string during "Spirit In The Night" and so we get the first known rendition of Clarence's time-filling comedy number "Gimme That Wine". We're also treated to the only known live performance of "Angel's Blues" (known to most fans by the titles of "She's So Fine" and "Ride On Sweet William") a rather unspectacular song that dates from mid-1973. The performance is very ragged, indicating it may not have been rehearsed much. "For You" is the solo piano version.

No audio of the early show is known to exist. The above-mentioned thirteen-song setlist for the late show (believed to be in the proper sequence) is taken from audio that has been sourced from home tapings of radio broadcasts. Current evidence suggests this show was not simulcast live at the time but, rather, was first broadcast in November 1974 to promote Springsteen’s later Texas tour. There is also some evidence that the material was broadcast in bits and pieces in November 1974, rather than in one complete program segment. The original taper's utilized modest recording equipment, so the sound quality is good but not outstanding. With a running time of about 98 minutes (depending on between-song edits) this is most likely the complete show, although it is possible that a couple of songs are missing. Comments Springsteen makes between several songs offer quite compelling evidence all this audio is from the late show on March 10.

The thirteen songs that are known from the late show only appeared coherently on a mainstream bootleg in 2009. The CD boots 'Liberty Hall' (Mistral), 'All Those Years' (Templar) and 'Live & Unreleased' (Seagull) each include the same five recordings ("Mary Queen of Arkansas", "The Fever", "Gimme That Wine", "Angel's Blues" and "Thundercrack"). 'Liberty Hall' also includes "Something You Got". 'All Those Years' and 'Live & Unreleased' also includes "The E Street Shuffle". The six 'rare/missing' recordings ("Spirit In The Night", "It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City", "Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?", "Kitty's Back", "For You" and "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)") are available on CD 'Greetings From Liberty Hall TX' (Wonderland Records). The full show is also included in the set also featuring the prior night's radio broadcast 'The Complete Liberty Hall Tapes' (Burning Love). The audio quality of this CD is somewhat different to the old versions - it appears to be sourced from a alternative recording. It should also be noted that there are unsubstantiated reports that this second show included two additional songs ("4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" and "Let The Four Winds Blow") that don't seem to be circulating anywhere.


 * 1974-03-15 - ARMADILLO WORLD HEADQUARTERS, AUSTIN, TX**

ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / BLINDED BY THE LIGHT / TWIST AND SHOUT / LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW

One show, with Springsteen and band headlining a capacity crowd of 1,500 and western swing band Alvin Crow & The Pleasant Valley Boys opening. Partial setlist details above are from attendee recollections. This was Bruce and the boys first-ever gig in Austin and both Springsteen and Appel were concerned about a potential clash of musical (and audience) styles between the two acts. The concern proved unfounded, as Bruce recounted during a 1980 interview in 'Performance Magazine', "It worried me a little bit. I knew for sure we weren't cowboys and I didn't know how they (the audience) would act. But, you know, they were up and dancing by the second song. I didn't think there were people like that, able to shift from one extreme to another so quickly".

Two Brucebase readers who attended recall "It was a special weekend show so it was a whopping $1.50 to get in! It ended being the best show I ever saw, period. I remember there were four encores and the last song he played was 'Let The Four Winds Blow' and he yelled out 'somebody get me a cheeseburger' at the end. We ran down Guadalupe Street and ate lots of tacos to recoup our energy". "We were really blown away that night. From the minute the music started everyone was on their feet, dancing and screaming and holding hands. I had never seen such a tight band before, or since. Bruce was jumping up on everything, speakers, pianos, you name it."

There is no audio in circulation.


 * 1974-03-16 - ARMADILLO WORLD HEADQUARTERS, AUSTIN, TX**

NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / THE FEVER / WALKING THE DOG / THUNDERCRACK / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW / TWIST AND SHOUT

One show, with Springsteen and band headlining and western swing band Alvin Crow & The Pleasant Valley Boys opening. Partial setlist details above are from a 1974 article/review in //Rolling Stone// magazine (click above link to read). An online blog has noted three further songs that were played - "The Fever", "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)", and "Thundercrack".

There is no audio in circulation.


 * 1974-03-18 - GERTIE'S, DALLAS, TX**

WALKING THE DOG

No other set details known. Two shows, with Springsteen and band the sole act on the bill. Opening of a four-night (eight-show) residency. This series of gigs was originally scheduled for a smaller club in Dallas called Mother Blues. However due to the rapturous reception and strong ticket sales that had occurred at the gigs in Houston and Austin, it was decided at the last moment to shift the residency to the larger Gertie’s venue. The decision turned out to be unnecessary, as ticket sales in Dallas were very poor, with only 50 to 75 people present at most of the shows, an indication of just how dramatically Bruce’s popularity varied from city to city at this point in his career.

Brucebase reader Gary Mcgill attended the show and was kind enough to send us his recollections: //"Gertie's was the sister club to Mother Blues and were both on Lemmon Avenue a few blocks apart. I was 18, living in an old house a few blocks away. I had no knowledge of Bruce Springsteen at the time, but often went to Gertie's and Mother Blues. We'd see local bands like the Werewolves, Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughn when just starting out, Jonny Nitzinger (blues guitarist and author of some Bloodrock songs) and touring bands like Brian Auger's Oblivion Express, Ray Manzarek band (of the Doors), Tim Buckley, and many others. A friend from Austin told me I simply had to go see this guy Bruce Springsteen. He'd just played the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin and my friend was amazed. So I went to the show at Gertie's (I just paid admission at the door....don't recall but it couldn't have been more than $2 or $3). I was on my own. My roommate worked the night shift and couldn't go to the show. Only 50 or 60 people in the entire club (and the club wasn't that big). I don't really recall two shows. I do know they did a set, then a long break, then another set. During the break, I stood at the bar and talked to (I think) Garry Tallent for quite a while. We chatted about Austin, The Armadillo, etc. Very nice fellow. Bruce and most of the band was outside.//

//I recall thinking in the second set that maybe they didn't know many songs because they played a lot of things again. In retrospect that could have been because it was supposed to be two shows. I think the club management just let us all stay because the place was so empty. The stage at Gertie's is not very big and only a couple of feet taller than the floor in the place. Plus the ceiling is very low. I recall the band seeming a bit cramped on the stage. I also recall vividly that Bruce and band were playing as if they were in Madison Square Garden....putting on a hell of a show for even our small audience. And everyone there was loving it. Seems like the last song they played was a long cover of "Walking The Dog" with Bruce going wild on stage, totally sweat drenched.//

//I've been to many hundreds of concerts, starting back in 1968 and seen almost every major rock act, particularly the late 60s and 70s. Still attend many concerts every year, but the Bruce Springsteen and E-Street Band show in that little club, Gertie's, is still one of my all time best concert experiences."// include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-03-19 - GERTIE'S, DALLAS, TX**

No set details known. Two shows, with Springsteen and band the sole act on the bill. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-03-20 - GERTIE'S, DALLAS, TX**

No set details known. Two shows, with Springsteen and band the sole act on the bill. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-03-21 - GERTIE'S, DALLAS, TX**

No set details known. Two shows, with Springsteen and band the sole act on the bill.


 * 1974-03-23 - RADIO STATION KDKB-FM, PHOENIX, AZ**

Although originally planned as a ten-minute interview, Bruce jokingly accepts an on-the-spot invitation to play guest DJ and spends over an hour playing his favorite records and chatting about his musical influences between songs.

There is no circulating audio of this radio show. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-03-24 - CELEBRITY THEATRE, PHOENIX, AZ**

WILD BILLY’S CIRCUS STORY / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / THE E STREET SHUFFLE / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / WALKING THE DOG / KITTY’S BACK / IT’S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / FOR YOU / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / TWIST AND SHOUT

One show, double bill, with Springsteen headlining and Wendy Waldman opening. This was Bruce’s first-ever experience performing on a revolving stage (he would spin again on July 27 and February 23, 1975), as well as his first ever performance in Arizona. The above-mentioned 11-song setlist (believed to encompass the entire performance) is culled from a review of the concert that appeared in the Arizona State University paper.

No known audio. The CDR 'Walking The Dog In Phoenix' claims to feature a recording of this show, in fact this is merely a poor quality copy of the March 3, 1974 radio broadcast from Georgetown University. It has been suggested that an poor quality audience recording of this show does exist, but we can find no concrete evidence for this. If you know more, please get in touch. "For You" is likely to be the solo piano version. Also from this night is an outstanding 40-minute discussion with Bruce (and Mike Appel in spots) that took place backstage after the show with reporters from //The Phoenix New Times// and Arizona State University. This is the most interesting interview with Springsteen available in any media format from the pre-//Born to Run// era, loaded with details about early shows and sessions. This interview can be found on the CDR 'The Inner View', and can also be heard by clicking on the date/location link above.


 * 1974-04-05 - MACMORLAND CENTER, WIDENER COLLEGE, CHESTER, PA**

NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / KITTY'S BACK / FOR YOU / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)

One show, double bill, held in the sold-out 550-seat MacMorland Center, with Springsteen and band headlining and slide guitar virtuoso Ellen McIlwaine opening with a 60-minute set. Springsteen is introduced by Widener College emcee Murray the K. The above-mentioned partial setlist details are from reviews in the school newspapers of Widener College and Villanova University - click the link above to read both. The review in //The Villanovan// is particularly caustic about the "loud, drunk and obnoxious" Widener College crowd, perhaps to be expected from a fellow Pennsylvania school. The concert started 70 minutes late due to the late arrival of the Springsteen camp but Bruce made up for it with a stellar, 1¾ hour performance. The show opens with "New York City Serenade", while "For You" is performed with Bruce alone at the piano. This is the infamous 'gangster hat show' where Bruce abandoned his ever-faithful beret in favour of a 'Bonnie & Clyde' style fedora, he told a student reporter after the show he'd acquired this during his recent Texas tour.

No circulating audio.


 * 1974-04-06 - BURLINGTON COUNTY COLLEGE, PEMBERTON, NJ**

NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / THE E STREET SHUFFLE / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / KITTY’S BACK / IT’S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / BLINDED BY THE LIGHT / FOR YOU / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)

One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and The Persuasions opening. The above-mentioned nine-song partial setlist is from an attendee recollection that is deemed reliable. There was about a 90-minute performance by Springsteen, so there are three or four songs missing from this list. Brucebase has received feedback that “Born to Run” may have been given a tryout performance at this show, but the evidence is hazy at this point.

There is no known audio from this show.


 * 1974-04-07 - BISHOP DOUGHERTY STUDENT CENTER, SETON HALL UNIVERSITY, SOUTH ORANGE, NJ**

No set details known. One show, double bill, with Bruce and band headlining. Held in the Main Lounge of the Bishop Dougherty Student Center and promoted as a dance concert, no chairs, people were told to bring their own blankets to sit on! The undercard was local outfit The Jim Marino Band (featuring Seton Hall University student Max Weinberg on drums). Max has commented that he first met Bruce (very briefly) immediately following this show, when Max went up to Bruce and told him how much he enjoyed his performance. As fate would have it Max would end up auditioning and landing the drummer position in The E Street Band in August 1974.


 * 1974-04-09 - RADIO STATION WBCN-FM, BOSTON, MA**

SATIN DOLL (1:50) / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (3:20) / I FOUGHT THE LAW (0:10) - GROWIN' UP (3:38) / WILD BILLY'S CIRCUS STORY (5:37) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) (8:29) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (9:12)

Yet another radio broadcast acoustic show by Bruce and the band (minus 'Boom' Carter). Unquestionably the highlight of this show is the unique acoustic performance of "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)", a genuine 'must have' track that you can hear by clicking the link above. "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" features the first known performance of the rewritten "angels" third verse. The song will continue to be played with these lyrics until 2005, when Springsteen reverted to the original album "waitress" lyric.

The above-mentioned setlist represents the entire performance and can be found in excellent broadcast quality on the CD 'Radio Waves' (Great Dane Records).


 * 1974-04-09 - CHARLIE'S PLACE, CAMBRIDGE, MA**

Early (first) show: NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / WALKING THE DOG / KITTY’S BACK / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)

Two shows, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and blues singer Mighty Joe Young opening. Both artists had originally been scheduled to play separate, single show residencies at nearby Joe's Place (note the ill-fated Joe's Place above). However a fire destroyed Joe's Place on April 2 and both artists quickly agreed to perform an adjusted double-billing schedule together at Charlie's (four nights, eight shows). It should be noted that although Springsteen increased the number of shows from three (as planned at Joe's) to eight (at Charlie's), the length of Bruce's performances at Charlie's were only 80 to 90 minutes, whereas the Joe's Place shows would have been two hours or more. There is no available audio from this show. A partial setlist from the early show is known via a gig review that appeared in a local paper.


 * 1974-04-10 - CHARLIE'S PLACE, CAMBRIDGE, MA**

Early (first) show: NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / FOR YOU / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)

Late (second) show: NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW

Two shows, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and Mighty Joe Young opening. The partial setlist from the early show is courtesy of a Brucebase reader's confident recollection, who additionally notes: //"I was there for the early show. He told a story about stopping in to see Junior Walker at Paul's Mall after his own show the night before, and then later stopping into some deli to get a meatball sub and finding they used flat meatballs!".// Springsteen met his future manager-producer Jon Landau for the first time on this night. Landau had arrived to see the second (late) show and spotted Bruce alone on the sidewalk between shows, reading Landau's //Real Paper// review of the WIESS album, it’d been posted by Charlie’s management on a wall near the club’s entrance. The partial setlist from the late show (the opening number and the second encore) is from Landau’s recollection as conveyed to writer Dave Marsh.

There is no known audio from either show. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-04-11 - CHARLIE'S PLACE, CAMBRIDGE, MA**

No set details known. Two shows, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and blues singer Mighty Joe Young opening. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-04-12 - CHARLIE'S PLACE, CAMBRIDGE, MA**

No set details known. Two shows, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and blues singer Mighty Joe Young opening. The profits for all eight shows at Charlie's were used to help rebuild Joe's Place. Additionally both Springsteen and Mighty Joe Young donated their performance fees for this final night to The Joe's Place Disaster Fund.

Various resequenced permutations of the audience taped performance from Joe's Place on January 6 are circulating among collectors and are incorrectly attributed to either this or one of the previous nights shows at Charlie's Place. In reality there is currently no circulating audio from any of the 8 Charlie's Place shows from this April 9 to 12 residency.


 * 1974-04-13 - RICHMOND COLISEUM, RICHMOND, VA**

Cancelled concert, never rescheduled. Information is sketchy but it’s believed Springsteen was the scheduled undercard for this gig. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-04-18 - ALUMNI GYMNASIUM, MONMOUTH COLLEGE, WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ**

One show, held in the Alumni (Memorial) Gym. Although this gig is noted in the Appel/Columbia Records tour itinerary files, it may have been very hastily arranged, as the school’s student newspaper archive reveals it was not pre-advertised or otherwise mentioned in that paper. Although it was long-thought that the band were the sole act on the bill one attendee remembers the support being Richard Bamberger.


 * 1974-04-19 - STATE THEATRE, NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ**

WILD BILLY'S CIRCUS STORY / FOR YOU

No other set details known. One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and folk stylist Jae Mason opening. This concert went virtually unadvertised by its promoter, who gambled that 'word-of-mouth' would be enough to fill the modest, 550-seat venue. Big mistake, as only about 250 people attended. A New Jersey local from this time has commented "nobody knew this show was happening, in fact even students at Rutgers (in New Brunswick) were totally in the dark until after the fact". Gary, sent in his recollections: "My future wife and I sat in the upstairs balcony right behind the extended Federici family which included at least one of his parents, wife and kid. Great people. Bruce opened his set with the following (paraphrasing here): "thanks to Jae Mason for a great opening set and while we don't do a lot of country music (Mason's style was sort of country folk) the closest thing we have is this and thought we would dedicate it to him". He then did "Wild Billy's Circus Story" with I seem to recall Danny on accordion. The other set change up I recall vs the many many other shows I saw from those days was a slowed down version of "For You" with just Bruce and the piano." Journalist Penn Jillette, who attended this gig, has commented that despite the poor turnout Bruce played with the same intensity as if it were a full house at Madison Square Garden.


 * 1974-04-20 - HELFFERICH HALL, URSINUS COLLEGE, COLLEGEVILLE, PA**

No set details known. One show, with Springsteen and band headlining. Support act was female folk stylist Perry Barber, who performed a brief, 35-minute solo set. Although Springsteen played for nearly two hours, the show was halted before the final encores when school officials became concerned that people in the audience lighting matches posed a fire threat to Helfferich Hall. Despite the disappointing finish the school's newspaper called Springsteen's performance "the greatest night in the history of Ursinus College".


 * 1974-04-26 - ALUMNAE HALL, BROWN UNIVERSITY, PROVIDENCE, RI**

NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / IT’S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / THE E STREET SHUFFLE / GROWIN’ UP / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / KITTY’S BACK / FOR YOU / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) - SHOTGUN / BOOM BOOM / TWIST AND SHOUT

One show, 12.00am (midnight, so technically speaking it was held on the 27th), with Springsteen and band the sole act on the bill. Held in the school’s sold-out Alumnae Hall on the Pembroke campus as part of Spring Carnival. There was no delay to the start of the show, as it had always been planned for midnight, a weird starting time given that Bruce was the only act on the bill. By all accounts a highly energized 1¾ hr performance that saw Bruce running amuck in the audience at one point and then undertake his James Brown-influenced “fainting-revival by the band” skit during the final song. The show included an early rendition of John Lee Hooker's “Boom Boom”, although the tune may have actually formed part of the "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) - Shotgun" combination.

The above-mentioned setlist details (probably complete and in the correct sequence) are garnered from two fine reviews of the show, one by journalist Ty Davis in the Providence Journal and the other by student reporter J. Garrett Andrews in the Brown Herald. Andrews, who hailed from the Asbury Park area, procured a backstage interview with Bruce immediately following the show that was published in the school newspaper the following week - click the link above to read. During this 2:00am interview it’s noted that Bruce has a daytime gig in Connecticut coming up in just 11 hours (1.00pm) and then an early evening (7.00pm) gig at another location right after it. Interestingly, this show did not include any (at that time) unissued Springsteen compositions (i.e. "Thundercrack", "Zero And Blind Terry", "You Mean So Much To Me", etc.), a point not unnoticed by reporter Andrews, who queried Bruce on the matter. Bruce responds by stating the show setlist is in a transitional stage, he’s just written some new songs that he’s about to start incorporating into upcoming shows. It’s likely that Bruce was referring here to the new compositions he performed two weeks later at the Harvard Square Theatre. Bruce also mentions a desire to perform in England - which would come to pass some 18 months after the interview.

There is no circulating audio from this show.


 * 1974-04-27 - ICE HOCKEY ARENA PARKING LOT, UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT, STORRS, CT**

No set details known. One show (a four-artist Spring Carnival Extravaganza), held outdoors in the parking lot of the school’s Ice Hockey Arena from 1.00pm - 6.00pm. Springsteen was topped-billed but actually opened the show, seeming in order to be able to make it on time to another booked spring carnival show later that evening 60 kilometers away at the University Of Hartford (see following listing). All four bands played about 90 minute sets and it was an outstanding bill, with funk masters Fatback, Fairport Convention and the always-hot-in-concert Aerosmith (who closed the festivities). And to top it off the whole event was free, including food and drink!


 * 1974-04-27 - GYMNASIUM, UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD, HARTFORD, CT**

No set details known. One show, with Springsteen and band opening for The Chambers Brothers and headliners Mountain. The boys had already performed a full show earlier in the day at the University of Connecticut. That outdoor gig had been long planned but this indoor gig held in the UH Gymnasium was a late addition to the tour itinerary, with Bruce agreeing to replace the Elvin Bishop Band, who'd cancelled the week before. According to Kevin Fahey, who was head of the UH Program Council at the time, Springsteen was paid $1,250 for his night's work. Marty Schlesinger was a student at UH at the time and recalls, "I played on the UH Lacrosse team at the time and Bruce and the band came into our locker room as we were changing after practice. They were using the locker room as their dressing room. Pretty cool group of guys who freely interacted with us. Clarence Clemons pulled out his sax (on Bruce's urging) and played some riffs in the locker room shower. Pretty impressive echo acoustics." Apparently Mountain's Leslie West enjoyed the show from the front row, but The Chambers Brothers didn't want to come on after Bruce's set.

There is no known audio from this gig. Unfortunately there is unofficial audio trading among collectors from a rogue broadcast by a daring DJ at Hartford radio station WHCN-FM in the late 70s. This audio is falsely labelled in some tape trading circles as being from this 1974 show. It's not. It's all from very common bootleg sources. “Kitty’s Back” emanates from the July 13 show and both “Growin’ Up” and “It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City” are from the April 17, 1976 show. To make matters even more confusing there is a performance of “Growin’ Up” circulating that's alleged to be from an in-station solo acoustic performance by Bruce at WHCH-FM prior to this Hartford show. There was no such in-station performance, it turns out that this is merely the John Hammond studio demo.


 * 1974-04-28 - SCOTT AMPHITHEATER, SWARTHMORE COLLEGE, SWARTHMORE, PA**

DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? / KITTY'S BACK / BLINDED BY THE LIGHT / GIMME THAT WINE / BORN TO RUN

No other set details known. The first four tracks above are from attendee recollections. One afternoon outdoor show, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and acoustic outfit Wire And Wood (Frank Collins, Craig Bickhardt and Rick Bell) opening. According to the school's newspaper if the weather was poor this show was to be held indoors (in Clothier Building Auditorium) but if the weather was fine it would be held outdoors in the school’s small, stunningly beautiful Scott Amphitheater. Perfect, unseasonably warm weather prevailed so the concert was held outdoors in front of an audience of less than 300 lucky patrons. Apparently the quaint, picturesque atmosphere elicited a particularly jazzy performance by Bruce and the band. Mike Appel has stated that Springsteen planned to perform "Born To Run" at the college. If accurate, this would constitute the earliest performance of the song. Swarthmore was an co-ed school but Philadelphia Inquirer critic Bill Mandel, who attended this show, described Bruce and the band as performing "to a glade-full of barely clad satyrs and nymphs who writhed and danced in and out of the trees." Jim recalls: "The show was electrifying, and the crowd hung on every note. I'll never forget the audible gasps from the crowd when the band and the Boss tore through the stop-time part of 'Does this Bus Stop at 82nd Street?' The tiny amphitheater audience was hot, sweaty and completely enthralled." Another recollection, this time from Michael: //"The most unbelievable part of the show was that it was absolutely free with only 90 folks tops in attendance! My favorite recollections were a ridiculously long version of "Kitty's Back", the only time I witnessed 'The Song With the Funky Break' ("Blinded By The Light") and the only lead vocal by Clarence that I ever saw, ripping into a tune called "Gimme That Wine"."// John, a Swarthmore graduate informed Brucebase that the College is (and was) not, in fact, an all-girls school. Click the link above to view a set of stunning photographs of the show (and aftermath!) from Swarthmore College's 1974 Halcyon yearbook.


 * 1974-04-29 - ROXY THEATER, NORTHAMPTON, PA**

ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)

No other set details known. Two shows, 7:30pm and 10.00pm, with Springsteen and band the sole act on the bill. Both shows were sellouts. Promoted and sponsored by WSAN-AM in Allentown, however there was no radio broadcast of either show. This was Bruce's only appearance at this 600-seat, classically designed art deco former vaudeville/movie theater. The theater showed movies at the weekend and rock concerts during the week, sponsored by the underground AM station. There were no FM stations in this area (east Pennsylvania) at the time. Also appearing at the theater around the same time were Billy Joel, Al Stewart, John Hartford and the Strawbs. Entrance fee for Springsteen was $2.00. Brucebase reader Richard also writes his memories: //"First he wore a floppy hat, which he moved all over his head, almost as a prop. And the second was the incredible encore of Rosalita which was amazing. I did not know the song (or any Bruce songs at that time). My friend who went with me was from Jersey and had heard of him, so we splurged for the two bucks. AND, I have been a huge fan ever since. Right after the show, I borrowed the first two albums and recorded them on my reel-to-reel tape recorder, and that started my collection (hundreds of boots since then)."// include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-05-04 - PANZER GYM, MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY, MONTCLAIR, NJ**

NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / GROWIN' UP / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / KITTY'S BACK / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW

One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and Buzzy Linhart opening. Being a part of the school's Spring Carnival '74 itinerary the free concert had an unusual schedule, with Linhart performing a 90-minute show starting at 6.00pm, then a three-hour break before Springsteen took the stage at 11.00pm. Bruce's performance lasted just under two hours. A pre-show article in the school newspaper //The Montclarion// mentions a press release that describes Bruce as "a good Catholic boy from New Jersey". A Brucebase reader who attended comments: "the most memorable thing about the show was the beginning. The stage was totally dark and then as the lights slowly came up, like an early gray dawn, they played a long intro to "New York City Serenade" while the band members remained motionless like mannequins, like ghostly shadows, one of the two or three best shows I have ever seen". There is no circulating audio from this show.


 * 1974-05-05 - MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM, KENT STATE UNIVERSITY, KENT, OH**

Cancelled concert, rescheduled and played three weeks later (see listing for June 1). This May 5 show was rescheduled well in advance, before any advertising took place or tickets sold.


 * 1974-05-06 - GYMNASIUM, BUCKS COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, NEWTOWN, PA**

SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT

No other setlist details known. One show, double bill, with Springsteen and band headlining and jazz fusion outfit Return To Forever (featuring Chick Corea) opening. A Brucebase reader comments: "I got there early and found each member of Return To Forever practicing separately in a hallway surrounding the gym the show was held in. Stanley Clark was playing bass in the band then". A contributor to songfacts.com recalls that "Spirit In The Night" was played.


 * 1974-05-09 - HARVARD SQUARE THEATRE, CAMBRIDGE, MA**

Soundcheck: THE E STREET SHUFFLE / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET?

Early (first) show: NEW YORK CITY SERENADE (13:44) / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (5:26) / I SOLD MY HEART TO THE JUNKMAN (5:09) / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (3:47) / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (4:01) / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY (6:00) / KITTY'S BACK (13:28) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (9:34)

Late (second) show: THE E STREET SHUFFLE / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / BORN TO RUN / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / KITTY'S BACK / FOR YOU / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW / TWIST AND SHOUT

Two shows, double bill, with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band opening for headliner Bonnie Raitt. This is one of most famous Springsteen gigs yet, ironically, one of the most inaccurately reported - the key point of confusion being that there were two separate admission shows on the night and the long-circulating audio has been long-attributed to the wrong show. An excellent show that includes a unique cover of the Dinah Washington / Etta James WWII-era blues classic "I Sold My Heart To The Junkman" (performed by Bruce in the 'comedy mode' as recorded by The Starlets in 1961, the likely inspiration). "Kitty's Back" includes a snippet of "Bright Lights, Big City".

Precise setlist details remain problematic due to conflicting recollections. Critic Jon Landau's much-quoted "I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen" line emanates from this night. Landau only attended, and his //Real Paper// review only covers, the late show. However Landau’s review, in conjunction with information from other attendee recollections, provides an accurate, albeit partial, setlist for the late show, one that lasted 20-30 minutes longer than the early show. Bruce opened with the slow arrangement of "The E Street Shuffle", the only known instance that Bruce has opened with this song. "For You" is the solo piano version. Bruce knew that Landau was attending the late show and he unveiled at least one new composition (possibly up to three) for Landau's ears. One of these, "Born To Run" (identified in Landau's review as the song with the “Telstar” guitar opening), is confirmed via multiple recollections, including later comments by Landau to Dave Marsh. If one or two additional “new songs” were performed during the late show (and this is where there are conflicting stories) then these would have been either "Angel's Blues" (previously only played on March 10) or “The Fever” (rarely played and considered new) or two songs that Bruce had written and was already fiddling with in the studio, "Jungleland" and "A Love So Fine".

An eight-song, 70-minute, continuous segment of the early show (plus two soundcheck tracks) can be found on 'Rock And Roll Punk' (E St) or 'Feel The Spirit', and 'I Sold My Heart To The Junkman' (Anubis Records). This is the entire early show according to the taper who has recently made the original tape transfer available. The MC’s use of the name “The E Street Band” in his introduction is the earliest appearance of that name on any show audio or promotional material yet unearthed. The E Street Band name was conjured up only a few weeks earlier. The first show’s audio is a quality audience recording made by a taper who had good equipment and an ideal recording spot. Indeed, a close analysis of background conversation during the soundcheck yields an argument between someone in Springsteen's camp and the taper over this person’s right to be recording the show. This person obviously got away with it during the first show but appears not to have been so fortunate for the second. A recording of the early show was included in the Springsteen exhibit 'From Asbury Park to the Promised Land' at Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. It was streamed to a listening station, where two people could listen simultaneously through headphones. The recording was made by musician/retired music teacher Michael Atherton, who carried a professional-model cassette recorder with an external microphone into the theatre and taped the show from a seat in the back. Apparently the taper made a few copies for friends, and it's likely that it was these tapes (or copies of them) that were eventually bootlegged. There is no known audio of the second (late) show.


 * 1974-05-10 - PALACE CONCERT THEATRE, PROVIDENCE, RI**

Cancelled Springsteen performance (due to sessions at 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, NY), never rescheduled. This gig had originally been slated as a one show, double billing, with Springsteen opening for headliner Hot Tuna. The show went ahead anyway, with just Hot Tuna on the bill.


 * 1974-05-11 - FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON UNIVERSITY, RUTHERFORD, NJ**

BORN TO RUN

No other details known. There has been some confusion about whether this show took place or was cancelled, but we are now certain this gig did go ahead. The show was held outdoors on the steps of the student union building, although recollections differ, since some remember the concert was indoors, in the school gymnasium. It was a cold evening, and one attendee recalls that Bruce wore a scarf around his neck. The gig is noted as having been played on Mike Appel's official accounting documentation and there is known fan recollections of it having taken place, yet the University's Library has reported to Brucebase that they have no record of it. One recollection states that "Song For Orphans" was played; if accurate, this would be unexpected, given that the last known performance was about seventeen months ago in January 1973. Another fan present recalls that "Born To Run" was included in the set. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-05-12 - ESBJORNSON GYMNASIUM, GLASSBORO STATE COLLEGE, GLASSBORO, NJ**

Cancelled performance (due to recording sessions booked at 914 Sound Studios), never rescheduled. This concert had been planned as a double bill with Springsteen headlining and Fairport Convention opening. The event was restructured and went ahead without Springsteen, with Fairport Convention headlining and local group The Bogus Baby Band opening. At the end of the night it was announced that Bruce was sick. Glassboro State College was renamed Rowan College of New Jersey in 1992, and is currently named Rowan University.


 * 1974-05-14 - TUSCULUM COLLEGE, GREENEVILLE, TN**

Cancelled show (due to recording sessions booked at 914 Sound Studios), never rescheduled. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-05-24 - WAR MEMORIAL THEATRE, TRENTON, NJ**

NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / FOR YOU

One show, double bill, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining and slide guitar virtuoso Ellen McIlwaine opening (a late replacement for Hall & Oates). A Brucebase reader who attended comments "the opening act was originally supposed to be Hall & Oates but as we were on our way to the show on the Jersey Turnpike we heard them guest DJ'ing on WMMR-FM in Philadelphia. The show was primarily //Wild & Innocent// stuff. Bruce ended with a bunch of rock classics and them came back to do a solo "For You" on piano".


 * 1974-05-25 - ARCHBISHOP JOHN CARROLL HIGH SCHOOL, RADNOR, PA**

Cancelled Springsteen concert, never rescheduled. At the time (1974) there were separate boys and girls schools located on the same property. The concert had been planned for the school’s 500-seat theater, which was used by both schools. However the student entertainment committee in charge of organizing the event was unable to sell enough tickets to pay the required deposit so the gig was cancelled. WMMR-FM's Kevin Gunn recalled in 1998: "First of all, it's probably one of the more dubious distinctions of my old high school, but it's a true story. But in 1974 there was a woman named Maura Mccanney. She was a girl then, but she was the first kid on the block really to be totally into Bruce Springsteen at my high School; she turned me onto Bruce. She approached the management of Bruce when he was touring around the area and doing the colleges and everything and said, 'Hey, would he– would he come to Archbishop Carroll to do a show?' They said, "Sure, if you can sell x amount of tickets" – I think was 400, I can't be sure. Anyway, we tried and we tried and we could not meet the number, we could not get 400 tickets sold. And the reason was simple. That was Memorial Day weekend of 1974. And all the kids at Archbishop Carroll felt like going down the shore and doing the exact things that Bruce Springsteen was singing about. You know, chasing factory girls underneath the boardwalk and all that. So, the sad tale is that even though it isn't in Dave Marsh's Born To Run book as a date that happened, May 24th, I think, 1974, it was supposed Bruce at Archbishop Carroll – did not happen because we couldn't sell the 400 tickets. A great high school that I love dearly, but sadly one of the not the greatest moments in their history." include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-05-28 - THE MAIN POINT, BRYN MAWR, PA**

No set details known. Two shows, 8.00pm and 10.00pm. Bruce & The E Street Band are the sole act on the bill.


 * 1974-05-29 - THE MAIN POINT, BRYN MAWR, PA**

No set details known. Two shows, 8.00pm and 10.00pm. Bruce & The E Street Band are the sole act on the bill.


 * 1974-05-31 - THE COLUMBUS AGORA, COLUMBUS, OH**

Cancelled concert due to weak advanced ticket sales, never rescheduled. Brucebase reader Al comments: "Having just seen Springsteen (March 3) at Georgetown University in Washington, upon my return to Ohio I got a group of people together to go to the Columbus show. When we arrived at the Agora we were told that, aside from the five of us, only two other tickets had been sold and the concert had been cancelled”. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-06-01 - MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM, KENT STATE UNIVERSITY, KENT, OH**

NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / NO MONEY DOWN / KITTY'S BACK / LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW - I'M READY

One show, a six-hour quadruple billing extravaganza, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining. Support acts were Michael Stanley, The Banky Brothers Band and 15-60-75 (aka The Numbers Band). Held in the 5,000 seat Memorial Gymnasium. Originally scheduled for May 5. The show was well-attended, but was not a sellout. The second-billed Michael Stanley (and his band) opened the festivities with a 90-minute performance, followed by the two local bands, each of which played 60-minute sets - culminating in Springsteen & The E Street Band taking the stage at 10:30pm and playing for two hours. According to the contract documentation, the ticket price was $2.00. The above-mentioned partial setlist is from an attendee recollection.

There is no circulating audio from this show.


 * 1974-06-02 - THE TOLEDO AGORA, TOLEDO, OH**

A NIGHT LIKE THIS (7:45) / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (4:05) / IT’S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (4:29) / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (cut, 0:07) / FOR YOU (8:16) / LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW - I'M READY (start cut, 9:56)

One show, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining. Beginning shows with one or two acoustic numbers had been a pretty consistent hallmark of Springsteen's concerts up to this point. However this was one of the last shows of this type, as the hiring of Marc Brickman as stage lighting director in July 1974 pretty much ended the opening acoustic solo spots.

From an historical standpoint the important performance is the wonderful love song "A Night Like This" (often referred to by collectors by the title "Dance On Little Angel" or Bruce’s original working title "Angel Baby"). Springsteen, identifying it as "a new song" but not mentioning the title to the crowd, performs it acoustically (with Clarence and Danny). Although "A Night Like This" bears no common melody or lyrics with "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)", the two are stylistically similar and set along the summer Jersey shoreline. A studio take of this song has never surfaced but one was recorded a few months later (at 914 Sound Studios on October 16). Bruce later used a few tidbits of lyric from "A Night Like This" for his early 1975 composition "Lonely Night In The Park", a recording from the //Born To Run// sessions, which first circulated after being played during Sirius' E Street Radio's initial launch (November 1, 2005 to January 31, 2006), after which an MP3 has been widely circulated with the last few seconds cut and a running time of 4:32, per springsteenlyrics.com. "For You" is the solo piano version.

The above-mentioned partial setlist is taken from an audience recording of very weak quality that has been in limited circulation for many years. The material has yet to appear on any mainstream bootleg. The audio likely represents only about 30% of the evening’s total performance. All but a few opening seconds of "Spirit In The Night" is cut, as well as the opening minute or so of the evening finale, "Let The Four Winds Blow". Although this tape often circulates as undated, there are in fact several vital clues that almost certainly pinpoint the tape to this date and venue. Firstly, Bruce specifically mentions the name "The E Street Band" (which places the show no earlier than April 1974). Secondly, Bruce asks the audience how many of them have travelled from Detroit for this show (most respond yes, Toledo is only 70 kilometers from Detroit). Thirdly, this arrangement of "Let The Four Winds Blow - I'm Ready" was unique to the mid-1974 period and very similar to the following night's rendition in Cleveland. Fortunately the audio of the new song ("Angel Baby") is complete and the sound quality is somewhat better on this track than the rest of the audio.


 * 1974-06-03 - THE AGORA, CLEVELAND, OH**

SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (6.04) / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY (8.13) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) (6.43) / YOU NEVER CAN TELL (8.40) / TOKYO (edit, 5.22) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (9.54) / LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW - I'M READY (11.04)

One show, double bill, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining and Orphan opening.

Most (possibly all) of this 100-minute show was recorded by WMMS-FM in Cleveland, then edited to fit into a 60-minute time schedule and broadcast for the first time on June 5 at 10.00pm -11.00pm. There were approximately 40 minutes (four to six songs) of the performance not broadcast and none of the unbroadcast material is in circulation, if indeed it ever survived the editing room. The above-mentioned setlist represents only those songs that were broadcast and can be found in excellent soundboard quality on the CD 'You Never Can Tell' (Piggham), as well as titles such as 'And The Band Played' (Swingin' Pig) plus 'And The E Street Band Played' (Scorpio). "Tokyo" is also found on the 'All Those Years' compilation. The 60-minute recording is also available in a transfer from the WMMS Cleveland reel-to-reel masters. The sound quality of this transfer is exceptional. View the info. The master recording is also on CD 'Where The Four Winds Blow' (Godfather). Released to retail in the UK in 2015 with the title 'The Cleveland Shuffle 1974' (Refractor Records). WMMS-FM editors selected a good cross-section of the entire show. Highlights include a striking rendition of Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell" and the last known (and probably tightest) live performance of "Tokyo", which by mid-'74 seems to be morphing into a new title with altered lyrics sometimes called "Sleepytown". The audio from this show is often incorrectly linked to the Agora show of February 18, however this earlier show was cancelled and never happened.


 * 1974-06-13 - CIVIC CENTER MUSIC HALL, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK**

Cancelled show, never rescheduled. Springsteen & The E Street Band had been booked as the show opener for headliner The Guess Who, at the time one of the biggest selling rock acts in North America. Apparently the sudden resignation of two of the members of The Guess Who (Kurt Winter and Donnie McDougall) was the reason for the cancellation. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-06-14 - TEXAS HALL, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON, ARLINGTON, TX**

Cancelled Springsteen performance, never rescheduled. This gig had been slated to take place in the school’s Texas Hall venue. Details and reason for the cancellation are unknown. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-06-15 - ARMADILLO WORLD HEADQUARTERS, AUSTIN, TX**

No set details known. One show, with Springsteen & The E Street Band the sole act on the bill.


 * 1974-06-16 - MUSIC HALL, HOUSTON, TX**

Cancelled Springsteen performance, although the concert went ahead anyway. Originally slated as one show, double bill, with Springsteen opening for headliner Maria Muldaur, who was riding high in the charts at the time with “Midnight At The Oasis”. The show went ahead anyway, with Danny O'Keefe substituted for Springsteen. Apparently the concert tickets exhibit Springsteen’s, not O'Keefe’s, name as the undercard so he must’ve pulled out fairly late in the process. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-06-19 - COWTOWN BALLROOM, KANSAS CITY, MO**

Cancelled concert. There have been rumours that this show was rescheduled and played on July 20. However, no supporting information has ever surfaced. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-06-21 - LE GARAGE, SPRAY BEACH, NJ**

NEW YORK CITY SERENADE

No other set details known. Two shows, double bill, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining at the opening night of this now-defunct teen club (strictly no liquor!) located at 23rd St. & Bay Blvd in Spray Beach on Long Beach Island. The club was housed in a former garage for trucks and heavy equipment, owned by the Laputka family. It was remodeled and originally run as a night club for teenagers around 1967-72 and featured UV lights that made white clothing glow in the dark. Financed by impresario Gary Goodell, it was opened as a concert hall in the spring of 1974.

Walt Beadling helped set up and run the club, and he sent this to Brucebase: //"We opened with Springsteen on Friday, June 21, 1974. I'd never heard of the guy before. He started with "New York City Serenade". I'll never forget it. The whole place was dark. Bruce stood center stage, illuminated in a single spotlight, and started singing a cappella. One by one, the other members of the band starting, with David Sancious on piano, joined in. I was mesmerized; he completely blew us all away. What a showman. Who is this guy? We packed the house Friday and Saturday. He offered to do another show on Sunday to help us dig out of the financial mess we were in. We had an impromptu keg party with Bruce and the band at somebody's beach house that weekend. Bruce was a skinny little guy with a beard from somewhere up North - despite his charisma and the great shows he put on for us, I didn't think much of it at the time. Little did I know. . ."//

//"We lost money that weekend despite Bruce's generosity, which should have been our first clue that our business model was seriously flawed. We couldn't afford acts that would fill the place, but still had to pay the ones who didn't. Gary was deep in the hole by the end of July; various shady looking characters and local merchants kept coming around looking for the money we owed them. Somehow we survived. I tried to help keep the doors open by running classic old films on nights when we didn't have live entertainment - the Marx Brothers and Rebel without a Cause are a some of the ones I remember. Eventually reality set in and Gary had to close the doors of Le Garage for good. Sometime later the Laputka's sold Le Garage to a developer who tore it down and put up condos where our special, unforgettable summer place once stood."//

Previous information had Bruce and the band performing only a single show, but an article in the Beachcomber newspaper indicates that there were two shows tonight, confirmed by those present. Country/rock house band Slim Pickins opened for Springsteen, not the local glam-rock house band as previously thought. The three-night (five-show) residency at Le Garage was a last-minute addition to the tour itinerary and took place amidst recording sessions at 914 Sound Studios. Springsteen would return to Le Garage for four shows over two nights in July, another late addition to the tour schedule.


 * 1974-06-22 - LE GARAGE, SPRAY BEACH, NJ**

No setlist details known. Two shows, double bill, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining at this club out on Long Beach Island. The bill was the same as the previous night with country/rock house band Slim Pickins opening for Springsteen. A Brucebase reader comments: "the venue was right next to the beach and I spoke to Bruce in between the opening band and his show, while listening to the ocean waves. You paid at the door and got a folding chair to sit on. The place is now a clothing store I think". Actually the club was across the street from the Spray Beach Yacht Club next to a car wash. The site is currently occupied by radio towers and dishes. Another Brucebase reader adds: //"Someone asked for 'Rosalita' and Bruce said 'I don't know if I remember that one'... then launched right into it! I also remember the folding chairs".// include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-06-23 - LE GARAGE, SPRAY BEACH, NJ**

No setlist details known. One show, double bill, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining, supported by country/rock house band Slim Pickins. Bruce's third night at Le Garage, an unscheduled, unadvertised concert played to support Le Garage. See the June 21 listing for more information. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-06-25 - LAFAYETTE'S MUSIC ROOM, MEMPHIS, TN**

Cancelled show, never rescheduled. This was to be the opening of a six-night (six-show) residency for Springsteen & The E Street Band at this small, jazz club in Overton Square. However, for reasons uncertain, the entire six-night residency was cancelled.


 * 1974-06-26 - LAFAYETTE'S MUSIC ROOM, MEMPHIS, TN**

Cancelled, never rescheduled. //See June 25 listing for details.// include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-06-27 - LAFAYETTE'S MUSIC ROOM, MEMPHIS, TN**

Cancelled, never rescheduled. //See June 25 listing for details.// include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-06-28 - LAFAYETTE'S MUSIC ROOM, MEMPHIS, TN**

Cancelled, never rescheduled. //See June 25 listing for details.// include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-06-29 - LAFAYETTE'S MUSIC ROOM, MEMPHIS, TN**

Cancelled, never rescheduled. //See June 25 listing for details.// include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-06-30 - LAFAYETTE'S MUSIC ROOM, MEMPHIS, TN**

Cancelled, never rescheduled. //See June 25 listing for details.// include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-07-05 - AMBASSADOR THEATRE, ST. LOUIS, MO**

Cancelled Springsteen performance, probably the result of studio commitments. Originally scheduled as two shows, double bill, with Springsteen & The E Street Band opening for headliner Frank Zappa. Springsteen pulled out well in advance, before tickets were sold or any promotion mentioning Springsteen was undertaken. The two shows went ahead anyway, with Tom Waits substituting for Bruce.


 * 1974-07-12 - BOTTOM LINE, NEW YORK CITY, NY**

JUNGLELAND (11.28) / KITTY'S BACK (16.00)

No other set details known. Two shows, 8:30pm and 11:30pm, double billing, with singer-songwriter Jeffrey Comanor opening for Springsteen & The E Street Band, as noted on pre-concert advertising material. Comanor performed a short opening set. Recollections differ, but he may not have appeared at all six shows of the three-day stand. First night of a three-night (six-show) residency at the newly- opened club. Neither show on opening night was a sellout, although word spread quickly and the following two nights were packed.

In an interview, long-time Bottom Line owner Allan Pepper stated that he has attempted to release two tracks ("Jungleland" and "Kitty's Back") from the opening night as part of a four-CD compilation box-set comprised of performances at the club by an assortment of artists. While he received permission to issue the tracks from Springsteen and Jon Landau, unfortunately Columbia did not give their approval. Part of the concert (either the early or late show) was recorded as a test-taping for a scheduled radio broadcast the following night by New York University's radio station. For reasons unknown, Mike Appel halted the test recording mid-show and cancelled the radio broadcast, despite the station having approval from Springsteen's record company. It's possible that the two fine quality rogue soundboard recordings of "Jungleland" and "Kitty's Back" that circulate are the two tracks that Pepper intended to release.

Brucebase reader Chris Prondzinski writes about a friend who had connections with the Springsteen camp at the time: "He got a job at the Bottom Line when it opened, and Bruce was one of the first to perform there. Because of his employment and the very loose rules on security, he could get his hands on a recording of the show very easily. He said that he remembered on the first night of the Springsteen stand in the summer of 1974 barely anyone was there. So he didn’t do much that night and he got an opportunity to watch the show. Afterwards, he talked to the club owner Allan and said “that was a great show, this guy should get booked here often. I really like his music.” Allan responded with “Yes. If you like the show so much, I have two songs from the show that we got off the soundboard.” He followed Allan into a back room with shelves and a brand new reel to reel tape was in a box on the shelf, labeled with the date. Now apparently Allan had a reel to reel tape recorder and player at the club, but the two machines were not able to make copies. So my buddy said he could make a copy at his apartment and bring it back in a few days. And so he lent him the master recording and he got a direct transfer from the original. He made two copies to two cassettes. He listened to the two songs until the tape was broken. The other one sat in a box for years, forgotten about. It finally saw the light of day recently and this story came with it."

Based on all the information we have, it seems highly likely that the two tracks are from one of tonight's shows, and are related to the radio test taping. "Jungleland" (with work-in-progress lyrics/arrangement) can be found on the CD set 'All Those Years' (Templar). A 7:43 edited version with a premature fade-out also circulates. "Kitty's Back", complete with a 60-second intro by Bruce explaining about how he pinched the song's title from a striptease club sign, can be found on the CD 'Bound For Glory' (Flamingo). Both songs are also bonus tracks on the CD 'The Roxy Theatre Night' (Crystal Cat). If the recording of "Jungleland" does emanate from this show, it would be the earliest circulating live rendition. The arrangement is distinctly different from the final version, with the closing solo instead played by Springsteen after the second verse, an extended jazzy instrumental in the middle section and lyrical variations throughout.


 * 1974-07-13 - BOTTOM LINE, NEW YORK CITY, NY**

THEN SHE KISSED ME (3.08) / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (6.11) / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (4.00) / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY (10.15) / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (4.35) / NO MONEY DOWN (5.52) / JUNGLELAND (end cut, 11.35) / BORN TO RUN (4.37) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) (end cut, 5.56) / KITTY'S BACK (17.16) / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE (16.54) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (11.42)

Two shows, 8:30pm and 11:30pm, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining. As noted on the pre-concert advertising material, singer-songwriter Jeffrey Comanor opened for Springsteen, performing a short set. Recollections differ however, and he may not have appeared at all six shows of the three-day stand. According to Bottom Line owner Allan Pepper, one of tonight's shows was scheduled to be broadcast by New York University's radio station. However, for reasons unknown, Mike Appel cancelled the broadcast.

Audience tape. The above-listed 12-song setlist is believed to encompass a complete performance and is taken from an audience recording of reasonable quality. This audio can be found in its entirety on the CD ‘No Money Down’ (Winged Wheel) and is likely to be from the second show, although this hasn't been verified. This audience tape also circulates as 'Watch The World Explode' (Kivak Master Series). This is a transfer from the master cassettes. This show includes what are currently the earliest circulating live renditions of opener "Then She Kissed Me", "Born To Run" (note the work-in-progress lyrics) and Chuck Berry's "No Money Down".


 * 1974-07-14 - BOTTOM LINE, NEW YORK CITY, NY**

Two shows, 8:30pm and 11:30pm, with Springsteen & The E Street Band the sole act on the bill. As noted on pre-concert advertisements, singer-songwriter Jeffrey Comanor opened for Springsteen, performing a short set. Recollections differ however, and he may not have appeared at all six shows of the three-day stand.

The black and white footage of "Jungleland" that can be seen on the making-of-//Born To Run// documentary //Wings For Wheels// is likely to derive from one of the shows in this stand. With Ernest 'Boom' Carter on the drums it must pre-date August 14, and the early arrangement of "Jungleland" would place the footage around this date. The audio does not match any performance of "Jungleland" known to circulate and photographs of Springsteen taken during the Bottom Line stand are very similar to what can be seen on the video. The footage is likely to have been shot by Barry Rebo.


 * 1974-07-16 - THE STONE BALLOON, NEWARK, DE**

Cancelled concert, rescheduled and performed on August 13. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-07-17 - LE GARAGE, SPRAY BEACH, NJ**

No setlist details known. Two shows at 8:00pm and 11:30pm with Springsteen and The E Street Band the only advertised act. Bruce's sixth and seventh shows of the summer at the now-defunct teen club. See the June 21 listing for more information about Le Garage. The two-night (four-show) residency at Le Garage was a last minute addition to the tour itinerary.


 * 1974-07-18 - LE GARAGE, SPRAY BEACH, NJ**

No setlist details known. Two shows at 8:00pm and 11:30pm with Springsteen and The E Street Band the only advertised act.


 * 1974-07-19 - OZARK MUSIC FESTIVAL, SEDALIA, MO**

Cancelled Springsteen performance, although the event took place as planned. This three-day, 19-act 'Woodstock-style' festival held at the Missouri State Fairgrounds ended up attracting over 350,000, one of the largest music concert crowds in history. Springsteen was billed very low in the pecking order (see poster above) and was scheduled to play early on the opening day. The reason Springsteen didn’t play is the subject of some dispute, with some claims having Bruce’s tour bus breaking down en route to Missouri, resulting in them showing up late and being told by the promoter that they couldn’t be re-slotted into the schedule. However others claim there was no tour bus incident and Bruce was never anywhere near Missouri, rather, Mike Appel withdrew Springsteen’s services from Ozark after the west coast tour leg that began on July 25 was stitched together.


 * 1974-07-20 - COWTOWN BALLROOM, KANSAS CITY, MO**

Unconfirmed show. There have been rumours that this was the rescheduled date for the June 19 show at the same venue. However no supporting information has ever surfaced that this event actually took place. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-07-25 - SANTA MONICA CIVIC AUDITORIUM, SANTA MONICA, CA**

SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? / THE E STREET SHUFFLE / JUNGLELAND / KITTY'S BACK / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)

One show, double billing, with Springsteen & The E Street Band opening for headliner Dr John. As the support act Bruce's performance lasted only about 70 minutes (although a Robert Hilburn article says the performance was only 45 minutes). Attendance at this show was disappointing, however //Phonograph Record Magazine's// Michael Davis gave Bruce a glowing review, commenting: "from the third song on each number was followed by a standing ovation (the venue) didn't sound half empty during Springsteen's set, that's for sure". The above-mentioned, seven-song setlist is from an attendee recollection and represents most (if not all) of the performance at this show.

There is no circulating audio of this show.


 * 1974-07-26 - CIVIC THEATER, SAN DIEGO, CA**

Cancelled concert, never rescheduled. Like the previous night's poorly attended show in Santa Monica, this gig in the 3,000 seat Civic Theater in San Diego had been planned as one show, double billing, with Springsteen opening for Dr John. However virtually non-existent advanced ticket sales resulted in the gig being abandoned. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-07-27 - CELEBRITY THEATRE, PHOENIX, AZ**

No set details known. Two shows, double bill, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining and Danny O'Keefe opening. Although Bruce was struggling for recognition in western states he had a sizeable following in Phoenix. This was originally scheduled as one show but ticket demand was strong a second (late) show was added, both shows were sellouts. It seems Mike Appel was able to negotiate a percentage of the gate with promoter Doug Clark for the second show that resulted in a combined show payday of $11,500 for Bruce and the boys, nearly triple their previous best.


 * 1974-07-28 - TUCSON COMMUNITY CENTER THEATER, TUCSON, AZ**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / JUNGLELAND

One show, double bill, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining and Tim Weisberg & John Hammond Jr. (performing as a duo) opening. A rare 'daytime and indoor' concert, often incorrectly listed as having been played outdoors at the Tuscon Motor Speedway. The above-mentioned partial setlist details are from an attendee recollection. This was a full, 90-minute Springsteen performance.

There is no circulating audio of this show.


 * 1974-07-30 - THE TROUBADOUR, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / THE E STREET SHUFFLE / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / KITTY'S BACK / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / JUNGLELAND / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / THEN SHE KISSED ME

No full set details known. One (informal) show, triple billing, with Springsteen & The E Street Band co-headlining with Roger McGuinn, former leader of The Byrds. The opening act was Hawaiian folk duo Cecilio & Kapono. This event was billed as 'Columbia Guest Artists Week', with 'mystery'" artists from the CBS roster appearing each night. This six-day event bore some conceptual similarities to CBS's Ahmanson Theatre week-long promotion the previous year (see May 1, 1973 listing). As it turned out Bruce and McGuinn were the selected performers for the first night, with specifics leaking out only 72 hours or so beforehand, as well as wildfire rumors that Bob Dylan might play as well, ensuring tickets for the opening night were at a premium and in the hands of the LA media elite. Dylan was a false rumour but this gig would be a huge publicity breakthrough for Springsteen, who up to this point was having serious problems breaking through on the west coast. Cecilio & Kapono opened at 9.00pm, Roger McGuinn (and his band) followed at 11:30pm and Springsteen & The E Street Band took the stage around 2.00am and closed the evening with a rousing 90-minute (or 120-minute, recollections vary) performance. The above-mentioned partial setlist details are from an attendee recollection combined with a brief description of the show in the //LA Times// and a review by Harold Bronson in //Cash Box// magazine.

There is no circulating audio of this show.


 * 1974-08-03 - SCHAEFER MUSIC FESTIVAL, CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK CITY, NY**

JUNGLELAND / KITTY'S BACK / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)

No full set details known. One show, triple bill, with Springsteen & The E Street Band occupying the middle slot in a show headlined by Anne Murray, with Brewer & Shipley as the opening act.

This is an evening show held outdoors in the Wollman Ice Rink Theatre within Central Park, taking place while Springsteen is in town recording at 914 Studios in Blauvelt. This concert had originally been booked with Boz Scaggs headlining, Anne Murray billed second and Brewer & Shipley opening. When headliner Scaggs pulled out of the gig in June promoter Ron Delsener replaced him with Springsteen in the headlining slot. However Shep Gordon and Johnny Podell (managers of Murray) objected to Springsteen receiving headlining status, citing Murray's superior commercial success. As a consequence the schedule was changed the week before the show, with Murray receiving the top billing. Advertisements exist from both before and after the change of headlining status (see photos above). Mike Appel reluctantly agreed with the change on the condition that Springsteen would be allowed to perform for at least 80 minutes. As it turned out approximately 80% of the 5,000-strong crowd came specifically to see Springsteen, and half way through Bruce's performance Murray's managers realized they'd made a serious mistake, even trying in vain to get Mike Appel to yank Bruce offstage prematurely. Needless to say Bruce played his full show and Anne Murray was placed in the nightmarish position of having to follow him! A review in //Village Voice// (click the above link to read the review) states that a quarter of the crowd left after Springsteen's set, and only a quarter of those remaining were left by the time Murray had finished hers. The partial setlist above is from an attendee recollection. This would turn out to be the last time (except for charity benefits) that Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band opened for another artist.

A Brucebase reader who attended the show states //"It is absolutely true that most of the crowd booed when the announcer informed us that Anne Murray would be out in fifteen minutes, while we were still screaming for another encore. Most of us left. In Los Angeles, Marc Brickman (Bruce's lighting director) was talking to my wife and said that Anne Murray was hysterical backstage, really pissed off that her manager had forced Bruce to play second. The story made it to John Sebastian, who voluntarily took second spot (in a triple-billing) on October 18 in Passaic."// Another fan present also remembers that the vast majority left after Springsteen, leaving only around a quarter of the original audience for Murray.

There is no circulating audio from this show.


 * 1974-08-09 - TANGLEWOOD MUSIC FESTIVAL, LENOX, MA**

Cancelled outdoor twilight concert (due to ongoing sessions at 914 Sound Studios), never rescheduled. As can be seen from an early ad (above), the gig was planned as one show, double billing, with Springsteen headlining and Jae Mason opening. This cancelled show should not be confused with Bruce's non-Festival Music Inn performance in Lenox on July 23, 1975.


 * 1974-08-10 - CAPITOL THEATRE, PORT CHESTER, NY**

Cancelled show (due to studio sessions for the //Born To Run// album), never rescheduled. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-08-11 - PERFORMANCE CENTER, CAMBRIDGE, MA**

Cancelled show (due to recording session commitments), never rescheduled. This was to be the opening of a three-night (three-show) residency at this small, Jazz-orientated club. Although the three-night stint was promoted in Boston newspapers during June (see promotion above), all three gigs appear to have been cancelled in early-mid July, as there is no later information in any newspapers, as well as there never having been an attendee recollection in 35 years!


 * 1974-08-12 - PERFORMANCE CENTER, CAMBRIDGE, MA**

Cancelled show (due to recording session commitments), never rescheduled. //See August 11 listing for details.//


 * 1974-08-13 - PERFORMANCE CENTER, CAMBRIDGE, MA**

Cancelled show (due to recording session commitments), never rescheduled. //See August 11 listing for details.//


 * 1974-08-13 - THE STONE BALLOON, NEWARK, DE**

SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / JUNGLELAND

One show, double bill, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining and NJ-based outfit Mother, Flag And Country opening. Bruce's only ever performance in Delaware. The Stone Balloon was a new 900-seat club catering for students at the University Of Delaware. This was a make-up date for a scheduled July appearance that had been postponed due to studio commitments. Despite the show being a sell-out, a large crowd turned up hoping in vain to obtain standing room tickets, these people hung around all evening in street party mode, causing some nervousness among nearby residents. The Stone Balloon’s then owner-manager Bill Stevenson has commented: “when Newark’s Police Chief paid a visit around 2.00am he asked ”when is this guy supposed to stop?” Complete setlist details are not known but the two above-mentioned tracks are noted in a review of the show. It seems unlikely that “Born To Run” was performed. Over the years much folklore seems to have also developed surrounding the length of this show. There were technical difficulties that caused over a two hour delay between the finish of Mother God & Country’s set and the start of the Springsteen set, resulting in Bruce & The E Street Band not taking the stage until after midnight. Bruce made up for the hassles with a magnificent two-hour show, but not the four to five hour performance of urban legend!


 * 1974-08-14 - MONMOUTH ARTS CENTER, RED BANK, NJ**

Late (second) show: NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / BORN TO RUN / KITTY'S BACK / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / TWIST AND SHOUT

Two shows, double billing, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining and The Incredible String Band opening at the newly renamed Monmouth Arts Center - previously the Carlton Theater. The above-mentioned partial setlist details are culled from a review of the gig in the Asbury Park Evening Press and attendee recollections. No additional song titles are mentioned in the review, although it is stated that “new material” was performed (“Jungleland” and “She’s The One” being likely inclusions, but there may have been others). A review of the late show in the Red Bank Register mentions a solo piano opener, confirmed by an attendee to be "New York City Serenade", and also recalls "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy). "Born To Run" was also played, with Bruce acting like a conductor, directing Boom Carter during the instrumental break. The house lights didn't come on until 4am - problems with the sound meant that Bruce didn't get going until 12:30 on the morning of the August 15. These were the final performances of Ernest 'Boom' Carter and David Sancious as E Street Band members. Sancious has commented that they’d made their intentions to depart known to Bruce several weeks prior to this night, although the rest of the band only found out a couple of days beforehand, seemingly because Bruce had hoped the two might change their minds.

There is no known audio from this night in circulation.


 * 1974-08-23 - 914 SOUND REHEARSAL ROOM, BLAUVELT, NY**

Following the placement of 'help wanted' ads in the NY Village Voice in early August and a series of tryout sessions held at 914 Sound Studios during the week of August 18 to 23, pianist Roy Bittan and drummer Max Weinberg are selected as the two new members of The E Street Band. Roy was required to attend two tryout sessions but was actually chosen a couple of days before Max, who attended only one tryout session. Weinberg has stated that his drumming during a workout of “Let The Four Winds Blow” was what sealed Bruce’s decision to pick him. With the new line-up settled the group spend about ten hours per day for the next two weeks in rehearsal.


 * 1974-08-24 - CINEAMATIC CIRCUS, WOODBOURNE, NY**

Cancelled show, presumably due to rehearsal or recording session commitments. One show, with Springsteen the only artist on the bill. Advertised in the local press only in late July 1974, so one assumes the show was cancelled soon after. We can find little information about Cineamatic Circus, but it was situated on the intersection of Routes 42 and 52 in the hamlet of Woodbourne, NY and hosted a variety of movies and live performances. Other artists advertised include Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, Lenny Schultz and the Climax Blues Band. There is no press before June 1974 and after August 1974, so it seems the venue was very short-lived.


 * 1974-09-08 - THE STONE PONY, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. Unannounced and unadvertised Springsteen makes his first known stage appearance at this now-legendary club (it had opened in February 1974), as a guest of The Blackberry Booze Band (headed by Steven Van Zandt and Southside Johnny). Garry Tallent and former E Street drummer Vini Lopez are also in attendance and join Bruce on stage for a lengthy late night jam. A couple of months after this show The Blackberry Booze Band would morph into Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-09-19 - THE MAIN POINT, BRYN MAWR, PA**

Early (first) show: THE E STREET SHUFFLE / LOST IN THE FLOOD / GIMME THAT WINE / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / A LOVE SO FINE (A NIGHT LIKE THIS)

Also performed: CUPID / LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW (see below)

Two ‘dress-rehearsal’ shows, delayed to 9:30pm and 12:20am, with a 'new look' Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band the sole act on the bill. These shows were late additions to the itinerary, unadvertised except by word-of-mouth, and only finalized after the following night’s show at the nearby Tower Theatre had sold out. The shows were originally scheduled at 8.00pm and 10:30pm but were pushed back due to a lengthy soundcheck and then a two-hour first show, followed by a two-hour second show (which due to its starting time is sometimes listed as September 20). This was the public performance debut as E Street Band members for Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan. Violinist Suki Lahav would begin appearances with the band on October 4, however Suki (then-wife of 914 Sound Studios engineer Louis Lahav) was always considered a 'guest' performer, never an official member of the E Street Band like Roy and Max were.

Partial early show setlist above is from a review in //The Villanovan//, student newspaper of Villanova University. The reviewer makes several notable comments, including that Springsteen (introduced as "the greatest performer I have ever seen") opens with a song from his upcoming album. This is possibly "Born To Run", but it's more likely to be a song that the author doesn't recognise. When played, "Born To Run" usually takes a mid-set position in the setlist. Secondly, the reviewer notes that a jazz-laden "A Night Like This" is performed, only played once before in an acoustic format on June 2 in Toledo, OH. "A Night Like This" is recorded in the studio in October during the //Born To Run// sessions but doesn't make the album and is not known to have been performed again. However, since audio from three days later at Kean College has recently emerged which includes "A Love So Fine" sung with the chorus //'a night like this'//, we can perhaps assume that this song is actually "A Love So Fine", and was part of the encore. The main set closes with "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy). Stuart Green, then house manager of the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, attended one of these two Main Point shows and commented to Brucebase that Springsteen performed “Cupid” and “Let The Four Winds Blow” as encores. It is likely that this is the premiere of the cover of Sam Cooke’s “Cupid”.

No known audio.


 * 1974-09-20 - TOWER THEATER, UPPER DARBY, PHILADELPHIA, PA**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / THEN SHE KISSED ME / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / LOST IN THE FLOOD / THE E STREET SHUFFLE / JUNGLELAND / KITTY'S BACK / FOR YOU / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY)

One show, 9.00pm, with Bruce & The E Street Band the sole act on the bill. Show was a sellout. Springsteen was originally scheduled to play at 7:30pm because there was a separate admission midnight show (not featuring Springsteen) headlined by ex-Move guitarist Roy Wood. However Wood cancelled his show just hours beforehand and the Springsteen show was then moved to later in the evening. Near-complete setlist details (missing only a couple of song titles) are known for this show thanks to several post-concert reviews that appeared in local area papers. "For You" is the solo piano version. Springsteen returned to stage for a final encore following “4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” and performed what one of the reviewers describes as “a Motown number”, but its title is not noted. It could well be "A Love So Fine", a song which regularly formed part of the encores at this time.

No known audio.


 * 1974-09-21 - HUNT UNION BALLROOM, STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, ONEONTA, NY**

No set details known. One show, held in the Hunt Union Ballroom, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining and folk stylist Jae Mason opening. Originally scheduled to be held in the 3,000 capacity P.E. Building, the gig was moved to the smaller, 1,200 seat ballroom some time after the gig was advertised in the campus newspaper, the //State Times//. Despite the move the gig was still not fully sold-out, with only around 900 souls in attendance. The //State Times// had a picture of Springsteen in its next edition, but no review or comments of any kind about the concert.


 * 1974-09-22 - KEAN COLLEGE, UNION, NJ**

SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY / FOR YOU / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / CUPID / KITTY'S BACK / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / A LOVE SO FINE - SHOUT

One free outdoor show, double bill, with Springsteen & Band headlining and folk stylist Jae Mason opening, held outdoors on the lawn behind the student center. The set features the earliest confirmed and recorded "A Love So Fine", however the song is still clearly in the early stages of development since the chorus is sung //"a night like this"//, rather than //"a love so fine.//" It's worth noting that by the time the next show came around at Avery Fisher Hall, Bruce had changed the chorus to the familiar //"a love so fine."// "A Night Like This" is a different song (otherwise unrelated to "A Love So Fine") that was recorded for //Born To Run// in October, and was performed in an acoustic format in Toledo, OH in June 1974. Unusually for the tour, "For You" is performed in the full-band arrangement.

This was Bruce's first engagement here since the Dr. Zoom gig (see May 15, 1971 listing) back when the school was known as Newark State College. Check out some photos of the show by clicking the above link. After the show Springsteen is interviewed by Alan Edwards for a //Trenton Times// Sunday magazine cover story that ran in October 1974. Alan currently works for Appleseed Recordings, an independent music label that has featured Springsteen's music on several releases, including the 1997 Pete Seeger tribute //Where Have All the Flowers Gone: The Songs of Pete Seeger.//

The above setlist is from a decent audience recording which first circulated in November 2012 (JEMS). However, it may not represent the entire show with two or three songs potentially missing. The tape is notable as the earliest known recording of the E Street Band with new members Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan, introduced as "Mighty Max" and "Mr. Roy Bittan" during "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)".


 * 1974-10-04 - AVERY FISHER HALL, LINCOLN CENTER, NEW YORK CITY, NY**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET (7.59) / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (5.56) / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (4.08) / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY (10.47) / CUPID (4.04) / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (3.58) / LOST IN THE FLOOD (7.46) / SHE'S THE ONE (6.50) / JUNGLELAND (9.55) / A LOVE SO FINE - SHOUT (6.50) / KITTY'S BACK (14.38) / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE (15.23) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (9.54) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) (6.11) / QUARTER TO THREE (6.37)

One show, with Springsteen & The E Street Band the sole artist on the bill. First confirmed performance of "She's The One", an early version containing some lyrics that would end up in "Backstreets". This is the E Street Band debut of violinist Suki Lahav, who has stated that her performance this night was originally intended to be a one-off except that it was so well received by the audience that Bruce asked her to continue. Suki didn't perform at the following two gigs at Albright and Clark but thereafter was a fixture in every show until the end of the tour. "Lost In The Flood" features an extended piano and clarinet introduction that is highly reminiscent of the instrumental later found between late 1975 and March 1977 at the beginning of "It's My Life". "A Love So Fine" includes a snippet of "Shout". Chaos reigned near the end of this show and a Brucebase reader who attended explains why: //"My wife and I were in front of the stage during "Quarter To Three" when the first two rows of seats next to us just disappeared, the left side of the stage and first couple of rows fell about six feet. A couple of monitors fell in where the people were seated but it didn't appear that anyone got hurt. The encore was abruptly ended however".//

For this concert we are fortunate to have two unique items; handwritten setlists penned not by Bruce, but by Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici. Prior to every show Bruce would compose his setlist in the green room, just as he does today. Rather than make copies, the band would then copy his setlist in order to have it in their own handwriting. Usually these setlist copies would be made on a small memo pad and disappear by the end of the show, however Avery Fisher Hall had their own music stands, and so the setlists were written on larger sheets of paper. These two pages were picked up in the green room after the show by Art Reilly, a member of Springsteen's lighting crew. Several interesting nuggets of information can be gleaned from these setlists. First of all, Springsteen seemed to be just as likely to keep to his list in 1974 as he does today: "The E Street Shuffle" was listed after "It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City" and "Born To Run" was dropped from it's slot after "She's The One". According to the setlist, "Night" follows "Jungleland". Written in shorthand, this is actually "A Night Like This", the alternative title for "A Love So Fine" at this point in time. See the above listings from Kean College and The Main Point for more detail. The most notable song however is the listed closer, The Drifters' "On Broadway", which Springsteen intended to play after "Quarter To Three" - hardly surprising given Avery Fisher Hall's close proximity to Broadway. Unfortunately the front section of the stage collapsed before he got a chance. We have no record of Springsteen ever playing "On Broadway".

The above-mentioned setlist represents the complete 15-song show. A mediocre quality audience recording of the entire show circulates and can be found in its entirety on CDRs 'Cupid's A Fine One At Quarter To 3' or 'Cupid In The City'. Also available from Joe Kivak's master cassettes as 'Incident At Avery Fisher Hall' in much improved quality, as well as CDR 'I Saw Rock And Roll Future' on the Midnight Dreamer label.


 * 1974-10-05 - BOLLMAN CENTER, ALBRIGHT COLLEGE, READING, PA**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / TWISTIN' THE NIGHT AWAY / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / LOST IN THE FLOOD / FOR YOU / KITTY'S BACK / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)

One show, held in the sold-out 2,000-seat Bollman Center. Springsteen & The E Street Band headline. Folk stylist Jae Mason (and his band) opened with 45-minute set. Although violinist Suki Lahav had made her debut the previous night, she is not present at this show or the following night at Clark University. The eight above-mentioned songs represent a partial setlist from the show and are mentioned in an extensive review that appeared in the school newspaper and a review in The Gettysburgian, student newspaper of Gettysburg College. Springsteen's set lasted for 2½ hrs (no intermission) and Bruce actually comments to the student reporter after the show that this was one of his longest shows to date. The reporter states that following the show the band (including Springsteen) were laid spread out on the stage in a state of total exhaustion. During "Kitty's Back" Bruce broke his guitar string and repaired it onstage, facilitating an exceptionally long rendition of the song. At one point Bruce was even running around in the audience. Of major historical interest is Bruce's rendition of Sam Cooke's "Twistin' The Night Away", the only verified performance by The E Street Band.

There is no known audio from this show.


 * 1974-10-06 - ATWOOD HALL, CLARK UNIVERSITY, WORCESTER, MA**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / SHE'S THE ONE / JUNGLELAND / KITTY'S BACK / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / A LOVE SO FINE

One show, held in the jam packed, 900-seat Atwood Hall. Bruce & The E Street Band is the sole act on the bill. Partial (but sequential as they appeared) setlist details above culled from Clark's Student Newspaper. According to the young student critic who reviewed the show the consensus around campus was that this was the best concert ever held at the school. The opening 'spotlight solo' during "Incident On 57th Street" was taken by Roy Bittan, not Suki Lahav, it seems clear from the descriptive nature of the newspaper concert review that Suki did not perform at this concert.


 * 1974-10-11 - SHADY GROVE MUSIC FAIR, GAITHERSBURG, MD**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / LOST IN THE FLOOD / SHE'S THE ONE / JUNGLELAND / KITTY'S BACK

One show, double bill, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining and comedian Martin Mull opening. Shady Grove Music Fair was a theatre-in-the-round with a rotating stage which was knocked down to make way for a shopping center not too long afterwards.

Partial setlist details above are from an audience recording, available on the CD 'Jungleland, MD' (KMA). These represent the first nine songs of the show. There are four or five songs from this show that are missing, apparently not taped by this recording source.


 * 1974-10-12 - ALEXANDER HALL, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, PRINCETON, NJ**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET (8.09) / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (cut, 6.41) / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (3.59) / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY (11.23) / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (4.01) / LOST IN THE FLOOD (7.39) / SHE'S THE ONE (7.05) / JUNGLELAND (10.05) / KITTY'S BACK (cut, 5.35) / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE (15.34) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (9.18) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) (5.56) / A LOVE SO FINE (cut at end, 8.00)

Two shows, 7:30pm and 10:30pm. A reader comments "This concert took place in Alexander Hall, not in McCarter Theater. The capacity of Alexander Hall was much larger than McCarter Theater. I believe McCarter was just the booking agent for this event. My freshman class orientation took place in Alexander Hall, so the capacity at that time had to be around 1,100 or more". Bruce and the band have sole billing. Both shows were sellouts and one of the shows circulates in its entirety on an average quality audience tape. Given that there's no discernible stop-start (see below) during "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" then the complete 13-song setlist mentioned above is the late show. There's a rare blunder by the band on "Spirit In The Night", which is stopped and started again. "A Love So Fine" includes a very brief instrumental snippet of "Shout". Another Brucebase reader comments: //"I was 16 and wanted a Bruce T-shirt but there weren't any, so my friends and I made T-shirts from the// Greetings //album. During 'Rosalita' I jumped on stage and gave one to Bruce. I don't think he had ever seen one before and he stopped the song and looked at it before starting again. During the break between shows we went to the band's bus and gave shirts to everyone. They loved it and always looked out for us after that".//

A recording of the other show has yet to surface. An audience tape of average quality is available on CDR 'Spanish Johnny and Puerto Rican Jane' (Kivak Master Series). This is a transfer from the master cassettes.


 * 1974-10-18 - CAPITOL THEATRE, PASSAIC, NJ**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET (9.14) / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (6.41) / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (4.18) / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY (13.00) / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (4.08) / SPANISH HARLEM (4.38) / SHE'S THE ONE (7.02) / JUNGLELAND (11.06) / KITTY'S BACK (17.15) / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE (18.53) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (11.12) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) (7.01) / A LOVE SO FINE

One show, with Springsteen & The E Street Band closing the show (although billed second), headliner John Sebastian playing second and an up-and-coming Dan Fogelberg opening. Sebastian wisely let Bruce close, after hearing about the events of Anne Murray's predicament on August 3 and watching the band soundcheck. First known Springsteen version of "Spanish Harlem". "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" includes a snippet of "Theme From Shaft" in the midsection. "A Love So Fine" includes a brief instrumental snippet of "Shout". John Scher spoke about the concert in an interview with Jay Lustig for //Backstreets//: During soundcheck, says Scher, "I was just sitting in the empty theater, watching what was going on, and John Sebastian came over and sat down next to me. And we were just bullshitting. And then, ten minutes, 15 minutes into bullshitting, the E Street Band started playing. And in those days — it could still be in these days, I don't know — they took every second they were on the stage very seriously. They weren't just fucking around. They were playing. I can't remember how long they soundchecked for. Somewhere between a half hour and an hour, I would say.

"And when they were finished, Sebastian turned around to me and said, 'There is not a chance in the fucking world that I'm following this! Not a chance, John. There's nothing you can say that will get me to close the show.' And I said, 'Look, you're the headliner.' He said, 'I don't give a shit. I'm not following this!' And so, after I determined that he wasn't screwing around, and he was dead serious, I went backstage and talked to Bruce. And I said, 'Here's what Sebastian said. Will you close? Do you mind?' And of course he didn't mind. He was fine. And Sebastian was great. But Bruce followed him."

The setlist above represents Bruce's entire 13-song show and is available via an audience recording of good quality, if uneven in spots. Available on CDR transferred from Joe Kivak's master cassettes as 'Spanish Harlem 74' (Kivak Master Series), four songs contain some tape warp from the degraded master tapes. A second source entered circulation as (DS Archives Volume 29) (mjk5510). This source is missing "A Love So Fine" and a significant part of "Kitty's Back" both of which have been patched. This is the earliest documented show to circulate via multiple sources.


 * 1974-10-19 - MEMORIAL CHAPEL CONCERT HALL, UNION COLLEGE, SCHENECTADY, NY**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / SPANISH HARLEM / LOST IN THE FLOOD / SHE'S THE ONE / JUNGLELAND / KITTY'S BACK / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / A LOVE SO FINE

One show, held in the intimate Memorial Chapel Concert Hall as part of the school’s Homecoming Weekend, double bill, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining. An obscure local four-piece light rock band called Goebel & Lang opened with a 60-minute performance. The concert was a sellout. "A Love So Fine" includes a brief instrumental snippet of "Shout".

The above-mentioned setlist is taken from a circulating audience recording of fair-good quality that likely represents the entire performance. The speed fluctuation problems heard during some songs are from the original source tape. Available on the CD 'New York City Serenade' (Joker-Wildcard) and in slightly weaker sound quality on the CD 'Spanish Harlem' (Piggham). Some songs from this recording have also appeared on various live compilations over the years.


 * 1974-10-20 - DINING HALL, DICKINSON COLLEGE, CARLISLE, PA**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? / THE E STREET SHUFFLE / SPANISH HARLEM / KITTY'S BACK / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / A LOVE SO FINE

One show, double billing, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining and local country-rock band Hange Range opening with a 45-minute set. Interestingly the show was held in the school's 400-seat dining hall, even though there was a larger capacity gymnasium available, in fact Bruce and some members of his entourage were spotted playing basketball in the gym late in the afternoon. The above-mentioned partial setlist is from a review of the show in the campus newspaper. Bruce performed a two-hour show, so there were about four or five songs played but not mentioned in the review. Reports in the newspaper indicate that the College suffered a loss from the concert - costs totalled $5,000, while ticket sales amounted to $1,900.

There is no circulating audio from this gig.


 * 1974-10-21 - LINCOLN HALL AUDITORIUM, CAMDEN COUNTY COLLEGE, BLACKWOOD, NJ**

Cancelled Springsteen performance, rescheduled to November 21.


 * 1974-10-25 - SPAULDING AUDITORIUM, DARTMOUTH COLLEGE, HANOVER, NH**

Set details unknown. Two shows, both sellouts. Bruce & The E Street Band headline in Spaulding Auditorium with no other act on the bill. Dartmouth was originally scheduled as a single show but demand was such that a second show was added. With no opening act Bruce and the band performed back to back concerts of longer than two hours, with a mere 45-minute break between, making the more than four-hour stage time in one night one of the longest (possibly the longest) two show gigs of the era.


 * 1974-10-26 - JULIA SANDERSON THEATER, SPRINGFIELD, MA**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET (8.52) / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (6.08) / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (4.12) / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY (11.55) / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (4.03) / JUNGLELAND (9.58) / SHE'S THE ONE (6.29) / KITTY'S BACK (17.20) / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE (16.45) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (9.57) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) (6.24) / A LOVE SO FINE (7.05)

One show, with Springsteen & The E Street Band the sole act on the bill. This gig is often mistakenly listed as having taken place at Springfield College, however there was no school association with this concert. Interestingly "She's The One" begins with a rap that Bruce would use more extensively during the shows in the Fall of 1976: "//About, uh....20 years ago....this guy named Ellas McDaniel [a.k.a. Bo Diddley] discovered this beat.....and he found out that whenever he played this beat....educated men, guys that went to school....high school graduates, intellectuals turned into babbling primitives when he played this beat, husbands raped their wives.....to old ´Wagon Train´-repeats, the good girls´d go bad and the bad girls got worse.... This was a pretty serious beat"//. "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" includes a snippet of "Theme From Shaft" in the midsection.

The above-mentioned setlist is culled from an audience tape of fair quality (it distorts at the low end) and represents the entire performance. This tape is available on the CDR 'Back To School' (RCR).


 * 1974-10-27 - PUCILLO GYMNASIUM, MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY, MILLERSVILLE, PA**

Cancelled Springsteen performance, never rescheduled. This concert was scheduled as one show, double bill, with Springsteen & The E Street Band headlining and Brazilian jazz-fusion legend Eumir Deodato opening. Bruce awoke in the morning with laryngitis from the previous night's performance in Springfield. To compound the problem Millersville was a rare afternoon show, which meant Bruce's voice had six or seven hours less to rejuvenate than normal. Mike Appel was left with the unenviable task of breaking the bad news to the Concert Committee only a few hours before a sold-out show that had been anticipated for weeks and was the key event in the school's 1974 Homecoming Carnival. Appel offered to play the following day but it was apparently not logistically feasible from the school's standpoint. Apparently, posters advertising the gig spelled Bruce's name "Blue Spring Steen." A concert went ahead anyway, with Eumir Deodato providing an extended, three-hour performance to make up for Bruce's non-appearance. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-10-29 - MUSIC HALL, BOSTON, MA**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET (8.30) / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (6.00) / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (4.16) / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY (12.18) / CUPID (3.42) / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (4.39) / JUNGLELAND (9.54) / SHE'S THE ONE (6.30) / KITTY'S BACK (speed fluctuations at end, 18.07) / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE (21.10) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (13.08) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) (7.05) / A LOVE SO FINE (8.27)

One show with Bruce & The E Street Band headlining. Opening act is Dr. John. Last known version of "Cupid". "She's The One" contains lyrics from "Backstreets". Particularly long versions of "Kitty's Back" and "New York City Serenade", the latter clocking in at over 21 minutes.

Audience tape. Full show is available on CD 'Flesh And Fantasy' (Doberman). Also, three tracks from the show are available on 'And The E Street Band Played' (Scorpio). This show circulated in November 2014 from the famous Boston taper Steve Hopkins' master recording via JEMS, offering great sound and a big upgrade over previous releases of the show, including 'Walking Tall Vol 2' (Ev2). The JEMS master is the source for CDR 'Cupid' (Anubis).


 * 1974-11-01 - TOWER THEATER, UPPER DARBY, PHILADELPHIA, PA**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / THEN SHE KISSED ME / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY / BORN TO RUN / SPANISH HARLEM / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / SHE'S THE ONE / JUNGLELAND / KITTY'S BACK / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / A LOVE SO FINE

One show, with Springsteen & The E Street Band the sole act on the bill. Setlist above corrects and supersedes one previously gleaned from a fairly detailed review in //The Villanovan//, student newspaper of Villanova University. The 2½ hour set opens with "Incident On 57th Street", with Springsteen accompanied by only Roy Bittan and Suki Lahav. Next up is "Then She Kissed Me", the last known appearance of the song in 1974. It's also worth noting that the show includes "Born To Run. While it has certainly been played regularly since the Bottom Line stand, this is the first time it has been taped since July 13. It's also the last known outing for "Spanish Harlem," likely replaced by Bob Dylan's "I Want You" the next night, as Springsteen notes playing the song at the Tower a couple of days later during a radio interview with WMMR-FM Ed Sciaky. "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" includes a snippet of "Theme From Shaft" in the midsection. "A Love So Fine" includes a brief instrumental snippet of "Shout".

Because it was only played and captured on tape but a few times (and never as a soundboard or FM), Springsteen's cover of Ben E. King's "Spanish Harlem" has not gotten its due. Like "Incident on 57th Street" and "I Want You" it served as a showcase for Suki Lahav and the beautiful, sweeping arrangement sounds uncannily like the opening bars of a song he would release as an original six years later, "Wreck on the Highway." This show is the first known appearance of the infamous 'police siren' sound effect prop, known to be utilized on this night and also at several shows in November and December at the end of “It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City” and one final time at the February 5, 1975 Main Point gig (at the end of “Incident On 57th Street”).

Audience tape, first circulated in January 2013 via JEMS and recorded by The Big A, also released on 'Spanish Harlem Incident On Philly'. An almost complete tape, with just one small tape-swap edit in the 21-minute "New York City Serenade".


 * 1974-11-02 - TOWER THEATER, UPPER DARBY, PHILADELPHIA, PA**

SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / BORN TO RUN / JUNGLELAND / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / A LOVE SO FINE

One show, with Springsteen & The E Street Band the sole act on the bill. Perhaps because Springsteen knew he was going to debut a studio demo of the song the following night on WMMR-FM, this show at Tower Theater included a rare (at the time) performance of “Born To Run”. Critic Buzz Cerino’s review of this show notes that several new, then-unreleased songs were performed and although he doesn’t mention its title by name the inclusion of “Born To Run” in this show has been confirmed by then Tower Theater manager (and promoter ‘Midnight Sun’ co-owner) Stuart Green. "She's The One" and "Jungleland" are also likely to be included in the set.

No known audio.


 * 1974-11-03 - RADIO STATION WMMR-FM, PHILADELPHIA, PA**

On the eve of a bus trip to Texas, Springsteen (along with Garry Tallent, new E Street Band members Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan, as well as Bruce's then-girlfriend) visits DJ Ed Sciaky for an hour of record spinning, chat and general clowning around that may be the most insightful interview Bruce has ever given. Sciaky asks Bruce some interesting questions, resulting in a substantial amount of unique historical detail. Bruce jokingly performs an on-air ad for Suntory Akadama red wine, he talks in detail about "If I Was The Priest" and "The Fever" (Sciaky plays both songs, the former being Allan Clarke's cover version). Bruce is somewhat disparaging about the former, saying "I thought I'd burned every copy", and explaining how he could never play it live again. Sciaky also got the mother of all "scoops", with a studio version of "Born To Run" receiving a world debut airing eight months prior to its official release. Within a couple of weeks of this show, Kid Leo (WMMS-FM in Cleveland), Scott Muni (WNEW-FM in New York) and Maxanne Sartori (WBCN-FM in Boston) are also sent broadcast copies of the song by Mike Appel. By early 1975, another twenty stations receive the tape, thereby creating a nightmare for CBS because many hundreds of stations can't obtain the tape.

Nearly all the essential segments of this show can be found on the two-CD set 'Northeast On The Dial' (Mystic).


 * 1974-11-06 - ARMADILLO WORLD HEADQUARTERS, AUSTIN, TX**

No set details known. One show, with Springsteen & The E Street Band the sole act on the bill.


 * 1974-11-07 - ARMADILLO WORLD HEADQUARTERS, AUSTIN, TX**

No set details known. One show, with Springsteen & The E Street Band the sole act on the bill.

It has long been rumoured that one of Bruce’s two November 1974 shows at Armadillo was filmed in its entirety by Austin's KLRN-TV for potential use on its award-winning music program Austin City Limits.

No Springsteen footage was ever broadcast and none of the alleged video (or its corresponding audio) is known to be in any collection. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-11-08 - RITZ MUSIC HALL, CORPUS CHRISTI, TX**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / GROWIN' UP / THE E STREET SHUFFLE / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / LOST IN THE FLOOD / JUNGLELAND / SHE'S THE ONE / KITTY'S BACK / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE

One show, with Springsteen & The E Street Band the sole act on the bill. The partial setlist details above are from an attendee recollection, with this sequencing probable but not definite. There were likely to have been three or four additional songs performed that are not in this setlist.

There is no circulating audio from this show.


 * 1974-11-09 - MUSIC HALL, HOUSTON, TX**

No set details known. As evidenced in the ticket scan, this concert was originally scheduled for November 14 but then moved forward to November 9. Part of a fairly chaotic scheduling period for Bruce that may have been caused by the well-documented problems involving the //Born To Run// recording sessions.


 * 1974-11-10 - SPORTATORIUM, DALLAS, TX**

Cancelled concert, never rescheduled.

Audio from the October 11 performance at Shady Grove Music Fair sometimes incorrectly circulates as being from this show. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-11-15 - KIRBY FIELD HOUSE, LAFAYETTE COLLEGE, EASTON, PA**

Soundcheck: SHE'S THE ONE / A LOVE SO FINE / JUNGLELAND

SHE'S THE ONE / A LOVE SO FINE / JUNGLELAND

No complete details known. The concert was originally planned to be held at the Alumni Gymnasium but was moved to the larger Kirby Field House when ticket sales rose above 750. The concert cost the College $5,900 and damage to the Field House caused by smoking and drinking reduced their profits to almost zero. 1,200 of the 2,122 available tickets were sold on campus. Springsteen and the band played for 2½ hours, and a fan present reports "Clarence invited us in for the sound check and they played "She's The One", "A Love So Fine" and "Jungleland". I had never seen any of these before and there only about 20 of us there, dancing. He played them during the show." The scheduled support was a country-rock band called Slim Pickins, but they did not appear due to illness.


 * 1974-11-16 - LEONARD GYM, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON, DC**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? / THE E STREET SHUFFLE / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / JUNGLELAND / SHE'S THE ONE / KITTY'S BACK / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / A LOVE SO FINE (cut) / WEAR MY RING AROUND YOUR NECK / QUARTER TO THREE

One show, held in Leonard Gym, with Springsteen & the E Street Band the sole act on the bill. The 14-song setlist above seems to represent the complete show. Current evidence suggests this show included Bruce’s debut of Elvis’s "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck", which would turn up during encores for the next month. A Brucebase reader comments: “the best rock show I've ever seen and the best of the 12 Springsteen shows I've seen from '73 - '96. The show was so great it could have cured a terminal disease". Another reader comments: "it was my first Bruce show and it blew me away. Bruce came out and gave a 'there are contenders, there are pretenders but there was only one King of rock 'n roll' speech and proceeded into an Elvis song during which he fell to the floor and did the horizontal Curly Shuffle, doing circles on the floor with leg kicks. Amazing, made me a fan for life". Yet another Brucebase reader comments: //"It truly was a life-altering event. I ran back home to Philly and drove to the War Memorial show a few days later to see if what I had just witnessed was an aberration… and of course it wasn't. That was it for me".// The school’s Yearbook mistakenly dates this show as November 23, 1975.

An audience tape (not widely circulating) exists with all tracks except the final two.


 * 1974-11-17 - MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? / KITTY'S BACK / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / QUARTER TO THREE

One show, held in 1200-seat Memorial Gymnasium, with Bruce & The E Street Band the sole act on the bill. A couple of hundred tickets remained unsold. Complete setlist details are not known but the above-mentioned songs are noted as having been performed in separate reviews of the gig published in the local papers the following day. Former James Gang and future Eagles lead guitarist Joe Walsh attended this show, although the Springsteen camp was unaware of it at the time.

No known audio.


 * 1974-11-21 - LINCOLN HALL AUDITORIUM, CAMDEN COUNTY COLLEGE, BLACKWOOD, NJ**

No set details known. One show (held in Lincoln Hall Auditorium), double bill, with Springsteen headlining and Jae Mason opening. This gig had been rescheduled from October 21. New Jersey rocker John Eddie, whose gigs Springsteen would later guest at, has mentioned this night was the first time he’d ever seen Springsteen perform live, further commenting: “that’s when I realized you could be theatrical and rock 'n' roll, and not have to wear women’s clothing.”


 * 1974-11-22 - HOLLINGER FIELD HOUSE, WEST CHESTER COLLEGE, WEST CHESTER, PA**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / JUNGLELAND

No other set details known. One show, double bill, with Springsteen headlining and folk stylist Jae Mason opening. A Brucebase reader who attended comments: //"A truly amazing show. I took a friend who only listened to classical music and couldn't stand rock... even she was blown away!// Jae Mason opened up and the crowd booed him. So Bruce came out and asked the crowd to give the guy a break because it wasn't too long ago that he (Bruce) was an opening act. Suki Lahav was playing. The rendition of "Jungleland" was one of the greatest moments in rock and roll history!" A review in the college //Quad// magazine states that "Incident On 57th Street" opened the set, with Bruce accompanied by piano and Suki on the violin. The review notes that the MCs introduction was simply "Ladies and gentlemen, a man you will never forget, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band." The reviewer's final paragraphs are worth repeating here; "His expressions, his motions, the subtlety of his repetition, the raunchy power of his screaming guitar, the sensual rasp of the sax, the fragile piano, the heartbeat of the drums, the bleeding cry of the violin, the omniscience of the organ, all add up to the amazing presence somewhere between greaser and punk that is Springsteen. Springsteen's music is pure Rock 'N Roll unlike anything you've heard before, but then it's everything you've heard before. Every rock tune before Springsteen was looking for a final statement, the ultimate expression of an ultimate goal, trying to synthesize emotion and intellect as only Rock 'N Roll could do. Springsteen is everything Rock 'N Roll should have been."


 * 1974-11-23 - MAINSTAGE AUDITORIUM, SALEM STATE COLLEGE, SALEM, MA**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY / GROWIN' UP / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / JUNGLELAND / KITTY'S BACK / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / A LOVE SO FINE

One show, 8.00pm, with Springsteen & The E Street Band the sole act on the bill. Held in the sold-out, 800-seat Salem State College Auditorium. "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" includes a snippet of "Theme From Shaft" in the midsection. "A Love So Fine" includes a brief instrumental snippet from "Shout".

The above-mentioned 12-song setlist is taken from a circulating audience recording of average sound quality. "It's Hard to Be A Saint In The City" features a rap over the coda (much like the one heard on the circulating studio outtake). Available on the CDR 'Hard To Be A Saint In Salem'.


 * 1974-11-26 - RADIO STATION WMMR-FM, PHILADELPHIA, PA**

A bit of a legendary 24 hours in the Springsteen diary. Late on the evening of November 24 Bruce catches a bus from Asbury Park to Philadelphia to spend a couple of days as houseguest of DJ Ed Sciaky. Ed had phoned Bruce earlier that day asking him to come to Philly to meet David Bowie, who was in town recording an album and performing a show. Sciaky and Bruce arrived at midnight and spent the early hours of November 25 with Bowie at Sigma Sound Studios. Bowie had recently recorded a cover of “It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City” but apparently it wasn’t finished, so Bruce didn’t get to hear it. (It would remain in the vaults until the early '90s when Bowie finally released it).

Later that same day (November 25) Springsteen and Sciaky attend Bowie’s evening concert at the Philadelphia Spectrum, though Springsteen does not play. Immediately following the Bowie concert Sciaky and Springsteen take a cab to the Philadelphia Academy Of Music to catch the second (late) show of a Janis Ian / Billy Joel double bill. Bruce does not guest perform here either. Following this show Sciaky, Joel and Springsteen headed to the Eagle II diner in Philly for a 1am dinner. When they get to the restaurant they're surprised to find that Barry Manilow (who’d also attended the Joel show) has just arrived as well. Barry, like Bruce and Billy, was a friend of Ed Sciaky’s, so the four of them, Springsteen-Joel-Manilow-Sciaky (and Ed's wife) end up dining together.

Later that afternoon (November 26) Bruce records a Christmas message for Sciaky at WMMR (available on the boot “The Bruce Springsteen Collection, Vol 2”).


 * 1974-11-29 - WAR MEMORIAL THEATRE, TRENTON, NJ**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET (9.03) / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (6.46) / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (4.24) / I WANT YOU (6.46) / GROWIN' UP (3.09) / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (4.42) / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY (16.15) / JUNGLELAND (10.12) / KITTY’S BACK (edits, 16.32) / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE (19.51) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (10.48) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) (7.07) / A LOVE SO FINE / WEAR MY RING AROUND YOUR NECK / QUARTER TO THREE

One show at 7:30pm, with Springsteen & The E Street Band the sole act on the bill. Brucebase reader Dick comments: //"Bruce opened with a semi-solo version of “Incident On 57th Street”, bathed in a blue spotlight with the violinist eventually joining in”.// "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" includes a snippet of "Theme From Shaft" in the midsection, and "A Love So Fine" includes a brief instrumental snippet of "Shout". The show includes the infamous 'police siren' sound effect prop, utilized on this night and the next three shows at the end of “It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City”. The first known use of the prop was at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia on November 1.

Two recording sources circulate, the above-mentioned 15-song setlist is from an audience tape of reasonable quality and represents the complete performance. It can be found in its entirety on the CDR 'I Want You' (Piggham) and also via the Kivak Master Series as 'From The Churches To The Jails'. A second source entered circulation from the master tapes (The Big A) via JEMS in August 2014. This source is a very good recording missing the last four songs as the taper was caught taping from the second row. The Kivak master tapes are available complete using a patch to 'Kitty's Back' from the The Big A source. This is the earliest circulating audio of Dylan's "I Want You", although Springsteen had mentioned during the November 3 radio interview that he had already performed it live, in fact DJ Ed Sciaky mentions it was performed the previous night at Tower Theatre.


 * 1974-11-30 - WAR MEMORIAL THEATRE, TRENTON, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 7:30pm. Second show at the War Memorial Theatre added "by popular demand", according to an advert printed in The Daily Princetonian.


 * 1974-12-06 - STATE THEATRE, NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET (8.32) / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (7.02) / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (4.53) / I WANT YOU (6.49) / GROWIN' UP (3.02) / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY (cut in tape turn, 16.24) / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (4.50) / JUNGLELAND (10.29) / KITTY'S BACK (18.49) / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE (speed fluctuations, 21.37) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (11.01) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) (7.17) / A LOVE SO FINE (8.11) / WEAR MY RING AROUND YOUR NECK (2.18) / INSTRUMENTAL (4.16) / QUARTER TO THREE (5.50)

One show, with Springsteen & The E Street Band the sole act on the bill. "It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City" includes a spoken rap portion, as well as the police siren prop during the instrumental. "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" includes a snippet of "Theme From Shaft" in the midsection. "A Love So Fine" includes an instrumental snippet of "Shout". The unidentified instrumental tune showcased during the encores isn't known to have been performed at any other show. According to a fan present, " when Bruce did the instrumental at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, it was because he broke his guitar string and was changing it on stage, and the band played the instrumental".

The above-mentioned 16-song setlist is taken from an audience tape of fair quality (it runs slow) and represents the complete performance. A remaster of the show from the master cassettes has corrected the speed and upgraded the sound where possible, released as 'So Glad To Be Home' (Kivak Master Series).


 * 1974-12-07 - GENEVA THEATRE, GENEVA, NY**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? / I WANT YOU / GROWIN' UP / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY / GIMME THAT WINE / JUNGLELAND / KITTY'S BACK / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) / A LOVE SO FINE / WEAR MY RING AROUND YOUR NECK / QUARTER TO THREE

One show, double bill with Springsteen & the E Street Band headlining and folk stylist Jae Mason opening, albeit with a short, thirty-minute set. Booked by the nearby Hobart & William Smith College. "It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City" includes a spoken rap portion, as well as the police siren prop during the instrumental. "Jungleland" is one of the earliest versions including some lyrics that were later discarded. Clarence Clemons takes lead vocals on "Gimme That Wine", which appears in the set once again when Springsteen breaks a guitar string and needs time to change it, leaving the band to vamp until his return. This sixteen-song set includes possibly the longest "New York City Serenade" known, clocking in at over twenty-four minutes. "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" includes a snippet of "Theme From Shaft" in the midsection. "A Love So Fine" includes an instrumental snippet of "Shout".

The complete set list is now confirmed via a newly circulated audience tape mastered by JEMS.


 * 1974-12-08 - BURLINGTON MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM, BURLINGTON, VT**

INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET (8.21) / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (6.12) / DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET? (4.33) / I WANT YOU (6.20) / GROWIN' UP (2.49) / THE E STREET SHUFFLE - HAVING A PARTY (17.09) / IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY (4.25) / JUNGLELAND (10.07) / KITTY'S BACK (18.27) / NEW YORK CITY SERENADE (22.19) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (11.34) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) (7.00) / A LOVE SO FINE (6.46) / WEAR MY RING AROUND YOUR NECK (2.12) / QUARTER TO THREE (5.18)

Bruce's first ever appearance in Vermont. Although held off campus in the commercial Burlington Memorial Auditorium, this was an official University of Vermont event (sponsored by the UVM After School Concert Program). A scheduling conflict had prevented the show from taking place in the school’s primary concert venue, Patrick Gymnasium. Standard set for this period. Excellent "It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City" and unusual "The E Street Shuffle". "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" includes a snippet of "Theme From Shaft" in the midsection. "A Love So Fine" includes an instrumental snippet of "Shout".

An audience tape exists. "New York City Serenade" is a good version but is spoilt by tape warble and cuts at the start.


 * 1974-12-14 - AUDITORIUM, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY, NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ**

TWIST AND SHOUT

Bruce attends a second Billy Joel concert (see November 25 for details on Bruce's previous concert visit). During the show Billy paused to dedicate the song 'The Entertainer" to Springsteen and then, for the third encore, Bruce joined Joel onstage for an impromptu version of "Twist And Shout". A Brucebase reader who attended comments: "Before the show my friends and I decided to walk over to the men's locker room and snap a few pictures of Billy as he emerged to go onstage. The quickest way to get there was to walk underneath the bleachers. I remember seeing a scruffy guy sitting huddled with his back against the wall under the bleachers. It seemed odd, as the show was about to begin. It did not strike me until the next day that this scruffy guy huddled in the shadows was in fact Bruce trying to keep low key." A second attendee has this to say: "The weird thing about that night was all of a sudden everybody starts whispering across the front row “Springsteen’s here! Springsteen’s here”. I look at my cousin Anthony who was a Rutgers student thus the great seats, and actually say to him "Who the fuck is Springsteen?” A few minutes later Billy said “I want to introduce you guys to another Columbia artist who’s also been banging around trying to make it, he’s currently working on his next album - Bruce Springsteen!”. So Bruce comes out and it looks like he had just left the //Born To Run// photo shoot with the same leather jacket, hat and shirt that he wore on that famous cover. So they light into the Isley Brothers version of "Twist And Shout". The strange thing about Springsteen for me is it seemed like the guy had an actual electric aura around him while he was performing, I had never seen anything like that before or since. I swear you could almost SEE it like a Keith Haring cartoon character!!! So they do the song and after it’s done I lean over to my cousin Anthony and say “Oh, so THAT’S Springsteen” I’ve been a fan ever since that night. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-12-14 - MULTIPURPOSE ROOM, STUDENT CENTER, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY, NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ**

No set details known. Following his guest appearance with Billy Joel at the main Rutgers concert auditorium (see above listing) Springsteen walks across campus to the school’s Student Center and jams with Sid Gottlieb’s band Heavy Trucking. This took place after midnight, so technically speaking it was on December 15. Heavy Trucking had previously opened for Bruce at a concert at Rutgers on April 1, 1973. Peter Wyman, who worked for Rutgers University Major Events Programs at the time, has commented to Brucebase “after the (Billy Joel) encore Bruce was by a back door and asked me what the quickest way to the Student Center was. I walked him there and he told me he wanted to play with Heavy Trucking, they did five or six songs together”.

Brucebase reader Ron Gompertz takes up the story: //"I walked over to the Student Center from my dorm room that evening, and ended up downstairs where the bowling alleys were looking to get a soda. I saw my friend Dirck van Lieu, drummer with the Heavy Trucking band. I'd come over to see Heavy Trucking do soundcheck, and Dirck and two or three band mates were watching a guy knocking a pinball machine hard and racking up a lot of points. At close range and standing next to him, I noticed his oddly protruding lower jaw. Slowly I realized who it was. Bruce. I leaned over to Dirck and said, is that who I think it is. Dirck nodded.//

//I'd seen Springsteen in concert three or four times by then, but never so close up. After a couple of games, Dirck, HT guitarist Sid Gottlieb, Bruce and I walked upstairs to the Multi-Purpose Room, a large room with folding chairs lined up against the walls. The center of the floor was wide open for dancing... and Heavy Trucking was nothing if not a dance band. I sat down at the back wall, and Bruce sat next to me as Heavy Trucking did sound check. Bruce wasn't very talkative... he seemed distant as I tried to engage him in conversation every few minutes or so. I asked about his next album and how it were going. He said it was taking a long time and there were hassles. I told him my girlfriend, Lori, had a big crush on him and his poster hanging in her dorm room and he seemed embarrassed. After a while Bruce said, "I gotta go across the street to the Billy Joel show. My manager wants me to play. We're on the same label."//

//When he left, I called girlfriend Lori on a pay phone and told her to "get over here right away" if she wanted to meet Bruce. Lori arrived, and shortly after, Bruce settling back into the same folding chair next to me. Lori was sitting on my lap, and I introduced them. I said something sarcastic about Billy Joel being from Long Island and Bruce nodded a bit. Heavy Trucking played their set (Shake Your Money Maker, Chuck Berry cover songs) while the room full of people danced. Nobody seemed to notice Bruce. Then Sid announced a special guest, and Bruce got up and walked to the stage. Picking up a guitar, they played a set of covers. Lori and I, along with the hundred or so other lucky people in the room danced with big grins on our faces. I don't recall the songs. Wish I did.//

//After the show, Lori and I hung around with the band as they broke down equipment. Bruce hung around too, messing around on a baby grand piano, playing something that sounded vaguely familiar. Lori now remembers Bruce telling her to sing along with him, but she was too shy. Bruce played some instrumental piano music, and it may have been Thunder Road. I'm really not sure. It was late by the time we all left."// include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-12-20 - RADIO STATION WPLJ-FM, NEW YORK CITY, NY**

At the request of John Hammond, Bruce visits the studios of WPLJ-FM (formally WABC-FM) for an interview with Father Bill Ayers, a Catholic priest who hosted an hour-long Sunday radio show called ‘On This Rock’ that mixed rock star interviews, spirituality and social action.

The entire Springsteen interview was over 60 minutes but it was edited down to about 30 minutes of material for the show. This was a delayed broadcast, the Springsteen segment first aired as part of Father Bill’s April 15, 1975 program. Only the interview segments broadcast by WPLJ-FM circulate. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1974-12-29 - THE STONE PONY, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. Guest performance by Bruce (and some members of The E Street Band) during a show by The Blackberry Booze Band (led by Southside Johnny and Steven Van Zandt). include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"

< Previous | Listing | Next >

Page last edited by {$revisioneditor} on {$revisiondate} include component="page" page="Footnote_2018"